The Crown Prince personally took up the brush and wrote a formal report detailing the entire case. Together with the confessions of all those involved, it was sent to the imperial court in the capital.
According to usual practice, in a major case like this the suspects would very likely be escorted to the capital’s Ministry of Justice or Dali Temple for a second trial. Therefore, the Crown Prince did not issue a final verdict. Instead, he ordered all those implicated to be detained in the prison of the Nanjing Ministry of Justice and commanded that they be strictly guarded. If anything went wrong, the guards themselves would also be punished.
At last, the matter had temporarily come to an end, and they could finally breathe a little easier.
After returning home, Su Yan generously gave Xiaobei several pieces of silver and sent him out to a restaurant to buy food and wine. When he came back, master and servant drank together, and both soon reached a pleasant six or seven parts drunkenness.
When Su Yan awoke, the moon outside the window shone brightly. Silver light streamed through the open window lattice, spilling across the desk and the floor. Still groggy, he got up and went to the table to pour himself some tea only to suddenly notice a black Go stone placed beside the teacup.
The smooth surface of the stone reflected a faint glimmer of moonlight. Su Yan picked it up instinctively. It felt cool in his hand, heavier than ordinary stones, as though it had been carved from fine black jade.
He rolled it between his fingers for quite a while before his muddled mind gradually cleared.
He wasn’t very good at playing Go, so he hadn’t bought a set for his rented residence. Then where had this black stone come from?
Could it be from the Go board on the stone table in the courtyard of the Nanjing Ministry of Justice? Perhaps when he had been deep in thought earlier, he had absentmindedly tucked it into his sleeve and brought it back?
But that set had ceramic pieces, glazed white and black. The bottoms were unglazed, slightly rough to the touch, and much lighter.
A black stone…
Suddenly, a fragment of conversation surfaced in his mind:
“Care for a game with me?”
“You have no stones left to play. Why not resign and admit defeat?”
“Those who fight over a single stone, a single game’s victory or loss, may not be the ones who win in the end.”
“Those words, why don’t you go say them in the imperial prison?”
Mr. He’s voice had been elegant and gentle. Each word was like a drop of bamboo sap, appearing as sweet as nectar, yet deadly as poison. The memory made goosebumps rise across Su Yan’s skin.
This black stone was a greeting from an old nemesis, casual on the surface, yet hiding malice beneath, filled with the cruel amusement of a cat toying with a mouse.
—Long time no see, old friend. At this very moment, I stand right behind you, quietly watching.
Su Yan abruptly turned around.
The bedroom was empty.
—In the darkness, these hands that place Go stones… when will they set down the piece and instead draw a blade to kill you? Care to guess?
Su Yan sneezed loudly.
Hurriedly, he grabbed a cloak from the clothes rack and wrapped it around himself. As he strode toward the door, he suddenly turned back, opened the bottom drawer of the wardrobe, and tucked the brocade pouch given by the Emperor into his robe. Then, still wearing his slippers, he rushed out of the room and shouted loudly:
“Xiaobei! Su Xiaobei!”
He found Su Xiaobei asleep, slumped over the wine table in the flower hall. Shaking him awake, he said urgently, “Quick, pack our valuables… no, forget it. Just bring the documents and seals. We’re leaving immediately!”
“Ah…?” Su Xiao Bei looked utterly confused. “Where is Your Excellency going?”
To somewhere with guards.
After a moment’s thought, Su Yan answered:
“To the palace to find the Crown Prince!”
“Alright, I’ll pack right away.”
Though he didn’t understand the reason, Su Xiaobei trusted and obeyed his master unconditionally. He immediately got up, shook his groggy head, and went to the study to gather the things.
Su Yan went straight to the stables, quickly saddled two horses that were still eating their night feed, and led them into the courtyard.
Five minutes later, master and servant each carrying a small bundle, they galloped out the front gate and sped toward Donghua Gate of the Nanjing Imperial Palace.
The street was dark; a thin layer of snow coated the flagstones. In some places, the snow had melted into bright pools of water that shimmered under the moonlight. The horses’ hooves splashed through them, flinging droplets that soaked the hem of Su Yan’s dark blue cloak as it fluttered behind him.
High along the ridgelines of the roofs flanking the street, the moonlight outlined a gray-blue silhouette. The figure raised a slender bamboo flute to his lips.
Just as the frosty flute was about to sound, a flash of cold light shot across the night, sharper and more chilling than the wintry moon itself.
The silhouette twisted like a willow in the wind, vanishing and reappearing a few paces away, barely dodging the strike.
The light fell back into its master’s hand, a curved xiuchun dao blade glinting silver.
From the shadows emerged Shen Qi, travel-worn and grim, his presence radiating killing intent. His voice, hoarse from a long ride, rasped: “Don’t stare at him, don’t disturb him, and don’t you dare lay a hand on him, otherwise, even if you were the Son of Heaven himself, I’d still take your head.If you’ve forgotten those words, let me remind you.”
Mr. He lowered his flute before his chest and smiled faintly.
“I thought Lord Shen was still handling affairs in Henan. What’s this? Riding under the stars to get here, how many horses did you run to death on the way? How many days did it take?”
Shen Qi’s reply was icy. “Since I’m here, you’d best take the hint and get out of Nanjing.”
Mr. He’s expression didn’t waver. “Two things to remind you, Lord Shen. One, keep your manners. Two, even among comrades, don’t reach too far.”
Shen Qi answered bluntly, “The man behind that door demanded a token of greeting. He said only three words, ‘abolish crown prince.’ Since the crown prince is in Nanjing, this is my territory. I don’t share my work with others. If you don’t leave, don’t blame me for treating you as an enemy.”
Mr. He seemed to frown, but quickly regained his usual calm. He spun the flute once in his hand and said leisurely, “Since the Player has spoken, I don’t mind letting you have the credit.”
Before drifting away into the distance, he added softly, “Tell Lord Su this for me, ‘We’ll finish this game another day’… if you still have the courage to face him again.”
Shen Qi pressed the knife tip against a roof tile and sat down on the ridge. Behind him, the full moon hung like a vast frozen mirror in the night sky, bright, cold, and solitary.
More than half an hour later, a plainclothed Embroidered Uniform Guard scout appeared beside him and whispered, “Mr. He left the city through Xianhe Gate in the east, leading a squad of Seven Kill Camp assassins. I followed them twenty li beyond the outskirts before returning to report.”
Shen Qi nodded slightly. “Where are the prisoners held?”
“By the back Lake outside the city, the Nanjing Ministry of Justice prison. Go out the north Taiping Gate and you’ll reach it.”
“The phrase ‘depose Crown Prince’—if interpreted literally as a name means ‘the Crown Prince whose status has been abolished.’
If that was the meaning, then the person behind the door who wanted to “depose the Crown Prince” was in fact ordering him to take Zhu Helin’s life.
But if the phrase were interpreted as an action, it would simply mean the act of removing the Crown Prince from his position. Read this way, the task would be easier to carry out and offer far more flexibility.
Shen Qi naturally would not abandon the easier path in favor of the harder one especially since Su Yan was currently together with the Crown Prince.
Shen Qi rose. With a few swift leaps, he vanished among the overlapping rooftops. The hidden scout likewise melted into the night.
—
Outside Donghua Gate, the palace guards raised their weapons warily, blocking two riders who came galloping up.
“Who goes there, daring to charge the imperial palace at night!”
Su Yan pulled out the tally token the Crown Prince had given him and tossed it over, panting.
“Report to the Crown Prince, Su Qinghe requests an audience.”
By the light of the torches, the guard recognized his face. Su Yan frequently passed through Donghua Gate; his face itself was practically a pass. But it was deep night, and once the palace gates were closed they were not easily opened again.
The guard did not dare decide on his own to let him in.
“Please wait a moment, Lord Su. I will summon the eunuch on duty tonight.”
Su Yan stood outside the city gate beside a blazing fire basin. After waiting more than a quarter of an hour, he finally heard the sound of the gate opening.
Unable to wait any longer, he spurred his horse forward just as another rider galloped out from inside the gate. The two nearly collided head-on.
“—Qinghe!” Zhu Helin yanked sharply on the reins, forcing his horse aside.
“Watch out, my lord!” Su Yan, far less skilled at riding, cried out as he rushed past him.
Zhu Helin turned his horse and chased after him.
Su Xiaobei did not dare ride inside the palace and was taken away by a eunuch who had arrived behind them.
The palace gate slowly closed behind them.
Su Yan pulled his horse to a stop and turned to Zhu Helin.
“Why did you come out yourself? You could’ve just had a eunuch open the gate.”
“You’ve never knocked on the palace gate in the middle of the night before. I was worried something urgent had happened or that you were in danger. They were moving too slowly, so I came myself.” Zhu Helin looked him over anxiously. “Did something really happen? It’s freezing tonight, and you’re not even wearing socks!”
Su Yan’s ankles were already numb with cold. He laughed.
“I left in such a hurry that I even put my boots on the wrong feet.”
Zhu Helin lowered his head to look and indeed, they were reversed.
A little embarrassed, he simply leapt onto Su Yan’s horse, wrapped an arm around his waist, and pulled him into his chest, holding the reins with one hand.
“Come on. Let’s go back to the hall and warm up.”
—
Inside the inner chamber of Chunhe Palace, the two sat beside a brazier warming themselves while drinking ginger tea brought by the palace attendants.
Su Yan exhaled a breath of warmth and sighed.
“I finally feel alive again…”
“You have no idea when I saw this thing in my room just now, it felt like running into a ghost. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up.”
He tossed the black jade Go stone onto the table.
“I already suspected that the fortune-teller Eunuch Yan mentioned was Mr. He. Now I’m even more certain, it’s him.”
“Mr. He is in Nanjing?” Zhu Helin was startled at first, then delighted. “Excellent! If we catch him, it’ll be a great merit!”
Su Yan shook his head.
“It’s not that simple. Last year we mobilized the Embroidered Uniform Guard of the Northern Surveillance Bureau and a thousand Galloping Calvary. Shen Qi and Yu Wang personally oversaw the operation and he still escaped. Now Nanjing only has a few hundred Eastern Palace guards. Even facing the Blood-Eyed assassins of his Seven-Kill Camp would be extremely dangerous.”
Zhu Helin slapped the table.
“I’ve told you for ages to move into the palace, but you refused, saying it wasn’t proper! Now you must move in!”
“If you won’t come, then I’ll bring all the guards and move into your house instead!”
Su Yan gave a wry smile. “That little courtyard I rent can’t possibly fit so many people. Anyway, I’ve thought it through, compared to staying alive, what do rules matter? The Chunhe Palace is spacious enough; I’ll just take a side chamber next door and stay there for a while. It won’t hurt anyone.”
Zhu Helin was overjoyed. “Exactly, exactly! Once I catch Mister He, and things are safe outside, you can move out again.”
Su Yan thought it over and saw no better plan. He said goodnight and stood up, ready to go rest in the side hall.
Zhu Helin couldn’t bear to let him go. Even if nothing could really happen between them, it was still comforting just to have him close by. So he took out a letter he’d been holding onto all day. “Wait, those two guards you borrowed to send letters have just returned to the palace. They brought back a reply from the capital.”
Hearing that, Su Yan sat down again. He took the envelope and, upon seeing the words ‘To Qinghe, personal’ written in bold, powerful strokes, it was indeed Yu Wang’s handwriting, he suppressed his anxiousness, broke the seal, and unfolded the letter.
As he read, his expression darkened, disappointment gradually surfacing in his eyes.
“What’s wrong?” Zhu Helin asked, watching his face. “Did that shameless Fourth Royal Uncle bully you again?”
Su Yan shook his head, frowning under the weight of doubt and frustration. “No. Yu Wang has already done all he could for me. It’s His Majesty… he refused to accept my letter. He didn’t reply, and even lost his temper at Yu Wang.”
“My royal father refused it?” Zhu Helin said in shock. “What did you write in it?”
“Nothing much, just what I’ve found and seen since arriving in Nanjing, especially matters surrounding the White Deer case, along with some personal speculation. At that time, Yan Gonggong hadn’t been captured yet…” Su Yan’s voice trailed off, his tone growing faint as though lost in thought.
Zhu Helin took the reply from Yu Wang out of his hands and immediately noticed a few lines: “…That was the situation then. If Qinghe still wishes to submit memorials in the future, do not mention anything concerning the Crown Prince, absolutely not!”
Su Yan snapped back to himself and quickly snatched the letter away. “Yu Wang’s wording might be exaggerated. You know how he still holds resentment toward His Majesty for those ten years of confinement…”
Zhu Helin stood frozen, motionless, like an ice sculpture, frozen solid from the inside out.
Worried, Su Yan grasped his shoulders. “Your Highness! Don’t panic, please calm down first, ”
“I am calmer than anyone,” Zhu Helin said, his voice clear and deliberate. “It’s precisely because I’m calm that I can recognize it, phrases like ‘partisan factionalism,’ ‘the master is composed, but his strategist is too eager,’ ‘he is my subject, not the Crown Prince’s, nor yours, Zhu Xujing’s’, such words could never have been made up by my Fourth Royal Uncle!”
His last few words broke apart, his voice cracking into a strangled whisper. His lips trembled violently; to keep them from shaking, he bit his lower lip hard with his upper teeth and pressed his fist against his mouth. His eyes turned red, the whites tinged faintly with blood.
“Royal Father… yes, it’s true… I’ve been too foolish, forever a child, always naïvely believing that in the imperial family, father and son could share the same love as ordinary people… In front of him, I’ve always been the spoiled son. Even when he neglected me, scolded me, forced me to learn restraint, deep down I still believed, no matter what, he’s my father, my own blood; he knows me best, he’ll believe me… I was wrong, Qinghe. I was wrong…”
Su Yan felt as though a blade twisted in his heart. He leaned forward and embraced Zhu Helin’s shoulders. “You’re not wrong! None of this is your fault, it was mine. I phrased my memorial poorly and angered His Majesty…”
Zhu Helin clutched him tightly, pressing his jaw into the hollow of Su Yan’s neck. His eyes were bloodshot, his voice choked. “Don’t lie to yourself, Qinghe. You know perfectly well where the problem lies. Royal father is rejecting me, not only because I once revealed my feelings for you before him, but because I’m no longer a child basking under his affection. I’ve grown into a man, with desires, with ambition, and that makes me a threat to him. Isn’t it absurd, Qinghe? To stay childish is my fault, but to grow up is also my fault…”
Rationally, Su Yan knew Zhu Helin’s words weren’t baseless. But emotionally, he couldn’t accept that the Emperor could drive such a chasm between father and son, one born not only of power and politics, but of something far more hidden and complex.
Jintang isn’t that kind of man, he told himself.
But “Jintang” only existed before him, only in private moments. Most of the time, he was not Jintang, but Emperor Jinglong of Great Ming, the cold, untouchable ruler of millions. That was an undeniable truth.
Could Su Yan truly tell the Crown Prince, from his own narrow love, “Your father will always love you, he will never abandon you, no matter what happens”?
Open any history book, around that supreme dragon throne, nearly every page dripped with the blood of fathers and sons turned against one another, brothers at war, kinship torn apart. Could he really indulge Zhu Helin, a crown prince raised in honeyed ease, and tell him, “Those were other royal families, not yours, you’re the lucky exception”?
He couldn’t.
Su Yan let out a long, heavy sigh.
As he gently patted the crown prince’s strong back, he spoke softly, “Your Highness, my thoughts are in turmoil too, I’ve been thinking a lot, but I don’t quite know how to put it into words.”
“Say anything… anything at all. As long as it’s your voice, I’ll feel better,” Zhu Helin rasped, his voice rough and nasal. “Go on, say whatever you want.”
For the first time, Su Yan found that forming words could be so difficult.
He opened his mouth several times before finally speaking slowly: “I am your father’s lover, and your most steadfast ally. Faction, adviser, whatever His Majesty says, I won’t deny it, because one of my goals truly is to see you ascend as the next Son of Heaven. You are the heir I’ve chosen; serving your cause is part of my political ambition. There’s no shame in that. At the same time, I admire and love your father, and I’m willing to devote myself to him and to the empire he rules. Those two truths do not contradict each other.”
“That’s why I hope you can free yourself from the entanglement of youthful emotion, don’t let personal feelings come between you and His Majesty. Instead, keep learning, gaining experience, and in politics, keep a low profile. Diminish, as much as you can, the sense of threat your title as Crown Prince brings to the reigning Emperor.”
“The affection His Majesty holds for you runs far deeper than that of most emperors and their sons throughout history. That is your advantage, but it is not an inheritance you can squander. From now on, Your Highness must remember this: no matter how turbulent the political situation in the capital becomes, you need only do your best and trust yourself. Endure when it is time to endure, strike when it is time to strike, think thrice before every action, and once you act, press forward without wavering.”
Zhu Helin fell silent for a long, long time.
So long that Su Yan’s whole body had grown stiff before he finally heard the Crown Prince’s low voice by his shoulder.
“Qinghe…”
“Mm?”
“No matter what happens between you and my royal father in the end… I want to be your lifelong support.”
Su Yan wondered whether “lifelong support” meant “a thigh one can cling to for life,” and was quietly exasperated that the boy was still thinking like a lovesick fool even in times of crisis, when Zhu Helin continued,
“I know it’s laughable to say something so hollow right now, but it’s the truest thing in my heart. I am the Crown Prince, and I must also become a wise ruler in the future. Half for the sake of the empire, and half for you.”
Su Yan froze.
After a pause, he said quietly, “All right.”
