When Jiang Wu left, he didn’t look back.
Yet, he clearly felt Yin Wuzhi’s gaze following him like a shadow until he reached the corner.
Jiang Wu asked Qi Hanmiao, “Have you heard any rumors?”
Qi Hanmiao hesitated, “Your Majesty, do you mean…”
“About me and Yin Wuzhi.”
Qi Hanmiao glanced at Jiang Wu’s expression. Unlike Yin Wuzhi, it was hard to tell what Jiang Wu was thinking just by looking at his calm eyes, but it seemed like a casual inquiry, perhaps preparing to punish someone.
“There are indeed some rumors.”
“Tell me.”
It was much like what Yin Wuzhi had said—people mocking the young general for being reduced to a mere servant to relieve the emperor’s enchantment. Their words carried disdain and a sense of amusement, as if they knew he would be discarded in the end.
After all, Jiang Wu was the emperor, with countless men and women at his side. How could he be lacking in people? If Yin Wuzhi had simply relied on his martial skills to earn respect, it would have been different. But now, he had degraded himself to serving through his looks, which was seen as disgraceful.
“I also heard that the Eagle Army is displeased with the shizi’s actions. A general’s behavior affects the reputation of the entire army, and everyone feels ashamed.”
“.”
When will people realize that this so-called shame is just self-imposed trouble?
And gossiping about others does nothing but degrade oneself.
But maybe that’s just human nature. Even future emperors like Yin Wuzhi cannot avoid caring about such things.
Jiang Wu closed his eyes, remaining silent.
He couldn’t change the world, nor did he care to change others’ opinions. He could only hope Yin Wuzhi would learn to cope on his own.
This might be a crucial part of his journey to maturity.
“Take me to see Empress Dowager Yao.”
Hearing this, Qi Hanmiao looked at Jiang Wu with surprise and uncertainty, but seeing Jiang Wu remain quietly withdrawn, he led him to Yao Ji’s courtyard.
Upon hearing of his arrival, Yao Ji immediately put down the scriptures she had been punished to copy and rushed out. Perhaps to hide the scar on her left forehead, she wore a headband, and her attire in the temple was simple.
She personally wheeled Jiang Wu inside, dismissing the servants, and said with delight, “Wuer, you’ve come to see your mother.”
“Don’t touch Yin Wuzhi again.”
Yao Ji’s joyful expression froze. “Did you only come to see your mother for this?”
Jiang Wu looked at her calmly. “I don’t want to see anything happen to Yin Wuzhi.”
Yao Ji’s lips tightened as she gripped her cup. “Yin Wuzhi is your mother’s enemy. To protect him like this in front of me—have you considered my feelings?”
“If you stop, the secret will remain only between me and Yin Wuzhi. But if you make another move, I will tell everyone.”
Yao Ji gave a strange smile. “You want to tell everyone? Wuer, did Mother hear correctly? You want to tell everyone about this?”
“If I tell everyone, I will die.”
Yao Ji’s expression twisted again with sorrow. “You’re not afraid of death, but are you not afraid of being condemned for eternity? Of everyone attacking you, breaking your grandmother’s heart? And what about Chang Jinwen? She treats you so well, Wuer, do you not care about her either?”
This was Yao Ji’s leverage.
She was certain that even if the original person could forsake himself, he couldn’t forsake his sense of responsibility and filial piety. The original self was someone who could repeatedly compromise for himself, but would certainly endure grievances for the sake of those around him.
Jiang Wu didn’t know how to show that he cared. After a brief thought, he said, “I only care about Yin Wuzhi.”
Yao Ji’s expression almost twisted. She abruptly stood up and paced back and forth around Jiang Wu. After a few breaths, she said, “For Yin Wuzhi, you don’t care about your mother, your foster mother, or even your grandmother? You don’t care about being reviled by everyone, condemned for eternity…”
After a moment of silence, Jiang Wu finally said, “Yes.”
It was this silence that allowed Yao Ji to regain her composure. She knew it—her child couldn’t possibly not care about all this. She deliberately said, “Then go ahead and say it.”
Jiang Wu didn’t move.
Based on his assessment, after what he just expressed, Yao Ji would certainly try to frighten him by emphasizing the consequences.
Sure enough.
“You go and tell everyone that you are not the son of the late emperor, that your father is the King of Zhao, now the Emperor of Zhao. You go and tell everyone that your mother spent more than twenty years giving birth to an emperor for an enemy nation!”
She spun around and stood directly in front of Jiang Wu, staring at him intently. “Then your mother will never be able to return home, and you, in Great Xia, will be reviled by everyone. You will understand then what it means to be attacked from all sides. The elders who once loved you, the younger brothers who once respected you, the people who once revered you as a deity—”
With a sweeping motion of her wide sleeve, a gust of wind brushed past Jiang Wu’s ear.
“They will stop at nothing to kill you.”
“Your good name, everything, will turn to dust.”
Suddenly, his ears filled with noisy shouts.
Countless angry curses resounded.
“Let him die!”
“He’s not fit to be the emperor of Great Xia!”
“Get out, get out of Great Xia—”
Jiang Wu’s hand was gripped tightly. Their eyes, so similar, met. “Wuer, Mother knows you won’t do that.”
“As long as you listen to Mother and follow what she tells you—destroy Great Xia, help your father unify the world, then we can go home. Mother knows it’s difficult. You’ve grown up here, and you have many feelings for the people here. But your father said he would give you time. Afterward, Mother will plead for mercy on behalf of the Jiang family, to spare their lives—”
It was indeed very difficult.
For the original self, this might have been nothing short of a bolt from the blue.
“Yin Wuzhi likes you very much,” Yao Ji said. “Mother can see that. He won’t reveal our secret to anyone. Mother can stop targeting him, and he can remain yours to play with in the future.”
The next day, Jiang Wu bathed, lit incense, and went to listen to the old monk reciting scriptures.
This time, he didn’t immediately fall asleep. Instead, he interrupted the old monk’s long sermon. “I have found a reason to live.”
Kongwen: “?”
“I have someone I love, and I want to go out with him.”
Kongwen chanted Amitabha several times in a row. Then, he walked out of the meditation room, happily telling the Great Empress Dowager the news. “His Majesty has regained the will to live.”
“Of course, everything needs to proceed gradually.”
“Since he is willing, let him go out and relax.”
“Amitabha, how wonderful. I am unworthy of such credit.”
After some contemplation, the Great Empress Dowager finally had someone release Yin Wuzhi. When the two met again, Yin Wuzhi had already bathed. Except for the scar on his face that had not yet completely faded, he was clean and neat once more.
Qi Hanmiao happily held a large kite. “Your Highness, His Majesty said he wants to fly kites with you.”
Jiang Wu felt a sense of joy in his heart. Yes, joy. Yin Wuzhi could tell that the look on his face was filled with delight, even though it still appeared expressionless to others.
Yin Wuzhi couldn’t help but feel a burst of excitement as well.
Jiang Wu opened his arms to him. “Carry me.”
He quickly climbed onto Yin Wuzhi’s broad back, his arms wrapped around his neck. To the people around them, he said, “None of you are allowed to follow.”
Yin Wuzhi instinctively reminded him, “You should still bring some people.”
“I only want to be with my beloved minister.”
“…” Yin Wuzhi’s heart raced silently. He cleared his throat and said to the Great Empress Dowager, who was both pleased and worried, “I will protect His Majesty well.”
Of course, Jiang Wu didn’t intend for him to protect him.
He had uncovered Yao Ji’s secret, and he was going to tell Yin Wuzhi. Yin Wuzhi had killed so many Zhao people, and so many of his comrades had died at the hands of Zhao. He must harbor a deep hatred for them.
Jiang Wu was already dizzy with the impending joy of his own death.
There was no doubt that Yin Wuzhi would want to kill him immediately.
He had dismissed everyone to make it easier for Yin Wuzhi to act. As they climbed the mountain, even the bodyguard Sixteen had been sent away.
The snow on the mountaintop hadn’t fully melted, but tender green grass had already sprouted on both sides of the path.
Today, the spring sunlight was warm and bright. Yin Wuzhi’s footsteps were light and happy. When they reached a small hill near the temple, he set Jiang Wu down on a sun-warmed stone. Jiang Wu obediently sat down without leaning back.
“Your Majesty, you’re in high spirits today?”
Jiang Wu squinted his eyes at the blinding sunlight. He gazed at the wind-blown clouds in the sky, sighed softly, and, for the first time, seemed peaceful and content, shedding his usual deadpan demeanor.
“Today’s weather is truly beautiful.”
“Yes,” Yin Wuzhi’s gaze never left him. “The sun is warm, and the spring light is bright.”
A gentle breeze ruffled the long hair at the side of Jiang Wu’s face, and Yin Wuzhi reached out to carefully tidy it for him.
“Have you ever thought about becoming a cloud in the sky?”
“Sometimes,” Yin Wuzhi replied, still looking at him. “When I’m unhappy.”
“I think about it all the time.”
Yin Wuzhi paused, finally lifting his head to glance at the sky.
Then, he lowered his head and began to fiddle with the kite they brought. “Is this your first time flying a kite, Your Majesty? Do you want to hold it yourself later?”
“Okay, sure.”
Okay. He even added a “sure.”
Yin Wuzhi felt comforted by that little sound, looked at him again, and asked, “So, does Your Majesty want to be a cloud right now?”
“No.” No need to think about it—he would soon achieve it.
With just a few words, Jiang Wu had taken Yin Wuzhi’s emotions up and down and back up again.
Yin Wuzhi quickly set up the kite. “Do you want to hold the line, or should I?”
“I want the kite.”
The kite was shaped like a black eagle. As Yin Wuzhi pulled the line and stepped back, he couldn’t help but call out, “Your Majesty, did you choose the eagle for me?”
Jiang Wu called back loudly, “Yes!”
Yin Wuzhi laughed out loud.
Jiang Wu clumsily held the large kite. Yin Wuzhi said, “Let go when I say. Listen for my cue—three, two—”
Jiang Wu stood up.
He was dressed in thick layers, a fur collar around his neck, with a cloak draped over him. When he lifted the black eagle kite, he looked particularly awkward.
A sudden gust of wind blew his long hair and cloak in the same direction.
“One. Let go!”
His pale fingers released the black eagle.
In an instant, the kite soared into the blue sky.
Jiang Wu gazed at the black eagle in the sky.
Historically, the Eagle Army overthrew the tyrant Jiang Wu’s reign, and Yin Wuzhi became an emperor remembered for eternity.
He liked that history.
Liked that the tyrant Jiang Wu was overthrown.
Jiang Wu lowered his eyes, his five fingers gently spreading open, and a small stone on the ground was instantly drawn into his palm with a surge of internal power.
So, let’s follow the history he likes.
He flicked the stone, and the kite string snapped.
The black eagle was caught by the wind and veered off course.
Yin Wuzhi’s hand loosened as he watched the string and the stone fall together. Instinctively, he looked over at Jiang Wu.
He took a few steps back and said, “The kite flew off that way. I’ll take Your Majesty to find it.”
“No need.”
Yin Wuzhi paused in his movement to pick Jiang Wu up, and Jiang Wu said, “Flying the kite was just an excuse.”
“Your Majesty, what is this—?”
“I am the son of the King Wen of Zhao,” Jiang Wu said calmly. “My mother is a spy from the enemy nation.”
“This is the secret my mother told me that night—about my true origins.”
Yin Wuzhi’s dark eyes showed no surprise. “How do you know?”
“I went to see my mother again. She told me.”
“She lied.”
“…”
Yin Wuzhi turned his face gently with his hand and said, “Your front face indeed resembles Empress Dowager Yao, but your profile looks more like the late emperor. I’ve already consulted experienced coroners. Yao Ji could not have given birth to a child with your bone structure.”
Jiang Wu: “…”
“Perhaps she truly is a spy, but you are definitely a prince of the Great Xia.”
“You think I’m a fool?” Yin Wuzhi continued, “The Zhao kingdom is skilled with swords, while our Great Xia specializes in blades. The people she sent, no matter how hard they tried to use blades, would always revert to sword techniques in moments of urgency. I’ve fought countless Zhao soldiers—I can tell at a glance.”
“Swords are piercing weapons, double-edged, typically used for stabbing, slashing, in a fluid manner,” Yin Wuzhi demonstrated. “Blades are striking weapons, single-edged, primarily used for chopping and cleaving with great force.”
“You see—yes, you’ve practiced both sword and blade techniques. You must understand.”
After a brief silence.
“Your Majesty is right.” Yin Wuzhi stood straight before him again. “Yesterday, I lied. I did find something.”
“I didn’t say anything yesterday because I thought if Your Majesty forgot, then let it be forgotten. I hadn’t yet figured out how to deal with Empress Dowager Yao without disturbing Your Majesty.”
Jiang Wu felt numb. “I deserve to die.”
“No,” Yin Wuzhi said. “She’s lying to you. Don’t believe her.”
“I am the sinner of Great Xia.”
“You are not.”
Jiang Wu tried to convince him. “My mother is a spy. My very birth is a crime.”
Yin Wuzhi’s eyes showed pain. “You haven’t harmed anyone. You’ve done many things for Great Xia. You are not guilty.”
“I am.” Jiang Wu felt helpless, a mix of resentment and sorrow rising within him.
He just wanted to die. Why was it always so hard?
He turned his head dejectedly, and his eyes suddenly fell on a stone monument not far away: Gale Cliff.
Without hesitation, he began walking toward it. If Yin Wuzhi wouldn’t kill him, then he’d do it himself.
“I am an evil man. My very existence brings misfortune to everyone around me,” he walked quickly, as if something inside him had broken. His words tumbled out rapidly, “I don’t deserve to live in this world. My parents are enemies, my nation and my mother are enemies. I have no place in this world. Only death can be my true home—”
In one swift move, he stepped past the monument and leaped off the cliff.
The wind in the sky blew past the clouds.
The wind at the base of the cliff blew past Jiang Wu’s clothes.
His wide sleeves billowed, his cloak flew out behind him, and as he looked down, the fierce wind seemed ready to catch him.
The cliff was so deep he couldn’t see the bottom, only wisps of fog and the occasional treetop piercing through the mist.
Falling, crashing into the earth, let this useless body meet its end.
