At the fourth watch, the night was still deep as a carriage traveled through the streets of the capital. Whenever stopped by night patrol soldiers, the young servant driving it would produce a waist token representing his master’s identity, earning apologies and unobstructed passage.
As the carriage left the inner city and continued toward the outer city gates, the Embroidered Uniform Guard agents secretly tailing it grew anxious, once it exited the city, it would be harder to follow.
“What’s the situation?” a voice sounded behind them.
The covert agent jumped in fright, gripping his weapon and turning back. After seeing who it was, he quickly cupped his fists. “Commander, sir.”
Shen Qi gave a slight nod.
The agent said, “A servant from the Su household drove the carriage into the Ancestral Temple. About a quarter of an hour later, it came out and headed straight for the city gate.”
Shen Qi stared at the Su residence carriage in the distance, currently being stopped and questioned by the outer city guards, and asked, “The carriage seems weighed down, there’s someone inside. Who is it?”
The agent said, “Earlier at the Ancestral Temple gate, I heard the servant say it was Prime Minister Su inside.”
“Impossible,” Shen Qi immediately refuted.
Qinghe had been at the Northern Surveillance Bureau tonight, studying Qi Jingtang’s past battle records with him, and was now on his way to the Meridian Gate for court, how could he possibly be in two places at once? The person inside the carriage was impersonating Su Yan, and must have some ulterior motive… could it be another scheme by Mister He?
Before Shen Qi could fully think through what could possibly be taken from the Ancestral Temple, the carriage had already started moving again. He waved to the covert agents. “Follow it.”
By the time the carriage reached the city gate, the fifth watch bell rang, and the gates slowly opened in the deep blue light of dawn.
Once on the official road, the carriage picked up speed and soon passed the five-li post station outside the capital. As it passed through a stretch of forest, Su Xiaojing suddenly heard the person inside the carriage say, “Stop.”
This person had been sent by Mister He to cooperate with him. It was said he was a martial arts expert, and his build was similar to Su Yan’s, even his facial contours resembling him by two or three parts. At night, wearing a cloak and hood, he could pass as Su Yan in front of those unfamiliar with him.
Su Xiaojing reined in the horse and turned to ask, “What is it?”
The person inside said, “Give me the item.”
Su Xiaojing covered his chest protectively. “Mister He said before that this item is mine.”
“That won’t do. We’re being followed. It’s not safe for you to keep it.”
Followed? Su Xiaojing was startled and looked around: Who? Where?
The person inside fell silent for a moment. “There’s no time.” He stepped out of the carriage and tilted his chin at Su Xiaojing.
Su Xiaojing understood at once, hurriedly dropped the reins, and climbed into the carriage.
Seeing this, the Embroidered Uniform Guard agents trailing the carriage immediately revealed themselves from the shadows and moved to surround it.
“Just you lot?” The man’s tone carried a hint of disdain. A pair of gleaming dual daggers slid out from his sleeves. Immediately after, another figure appeared among the trees, dressed in a dark blue flying-fish uniform, holding an embroidered spring saber, like a ferocious beast poised in the darkness. The man under the hood’s expression changed slightly. “…Shen Qi!”
Shen Qi had intended to follow the trail and use the carriage to locate Mister He, who was to meet with Su Xiaojing, and perhaps even uncover the strategist behind it all. Unfortunately, the man in the carriage was highly skilled, having already sensed the presence of the covert agents trailing him.
Killing intent surged on both sides, a fierce battle was inevitable.
But the man suddenly said, “The evidence Lord Shen submitted last time didn’t quite satisfy my master.”
Shen Qi had guessed that this person was connected to Mister He or the strategist, but he hadn’t expected him to so openly reveal those private dealings. His brows furrowed as a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
“A lump of unidentified rotting flesh, how could that prove Lord Shen’s merit? But my master said that if Lord Shen is willing this time to spare Su Xiaojing and let him bring the item back, then he will fully believe in Lord Shen’s sincerity. And the gate behind the Gatekeeper will be opened to you.”
In other words, the strategist had finally decided to meet him.
Ignoring the astonished and suspicious looks of the agents beside him, Shen Qi said coldly, “What did you take from the Ancestral Temple, and for what purpose?”
The man let out a low laugh. “If Lord Shen becomes one of us, it won’t matter to tell you. But first, shouldn’t you deal with these agents present? Too many mouths.”
The agents now understood, their superior seemed to have connections with those behind the scenes, and they themselves were in danger of being silenced. They cried out, “My lord!” “Commander!”
Out of long-standing trust and deeply rooted loyalty, the three agents did not immediately resist or flee, but instead pleaded with Shen Qi: “My lord, please think carefully!” “That villain is glib-tongued, do not be deceived!” “Think carefully, my lord!”
Shen Qi lowered his gaze, his fingers rubbing along the hilt of his blade.
Seeing his hesitation, the man pressed further, “They’re just a few underlings, what is there for Lord Shen to hesitate about? Back then, when you dealt with the two imperial guards at Emperor Jinglong’s side, your token of allegiance was delivered without hesitation.”
Hearing this last line, the agents’ expressions changed drastically. They turned and fled toward the capital.
Shen Qi gritted his teeth and flicked out three stones from his hand, striking their Fengchi acupoints midair. The agents immediately fell to the ground, each losing consciousness.
The hooded man smiled. “Now that is the Shen Qilang my master so admires.”
With a dark expression, Shen Qi stepped toward the carriage, lifted the curtain, and looked inside.
Su Xiaojing was curled into a ball in the corner. The dense killing intent emanating from Shen Qi made him tremble uncontrollably, yet he still clutched the item in his arms.
The tip of the embroidered spring saber slid into his robe, hooking out a bundle. The cold, sharp blade brushed against the skin of his chest, turning Su Xiaojing’s face deathly pale.
Shen Qi opened the wrapping and found inside a thick, hardbound volume. The cover bore a five-colored dragon emblem, with the four inked characters “Imperial Genealogy.” The inner pages were made of flexible yellow silk, densely recording the lineage of the imperial clan, centered on the imperial line, including branches of the clan, ranks, titles, names, births and deaths, maternal family surnames, marriage dates, spouses’ surnames… all meticulously listed.
This was the most authoritative record of the royal lineage, and the most definitive proof of identity for members of the imperial clan.
The Imperial Genealogy was usually stored in a stone archive called the Imperial Records Repository near Wenyuan Pavilion, locked inside a golden coffer. Now that it was time for its fifteen-year revision, it had been taken out and temporarily placed in the Ancestral Temple, awaiting an auspicious date chosen by the Astronomical Bureau for historians to update and revise it.
Only members of the imperial clan were permitted to read this genealogy; even Shen Qi had only heard of it by name. He flipped through dozens of pages at random, stopping at a page marked with a red cord, Year Three of Jinglong,
“Xin Wang Zhu Tanli had three sons and four daughters, the first son… the fourth daughter… That year, his concubine Lady Liu became pregnant, but encountered disaster before giving birth and lost the child, the sex unknown.”
Shen Qi looked up at Su Xiaojing. The red cord he usually wore on his wrist was gone.
Why mark this page specifically?
The enslaved Su Xiaojing, the family-destroying case he often mentioned, the unusual efforts by Mister He and the strategist to win him over… Shen Qi pieced together all the clues and irregularities into a clearer conjecture:
“You are… the child of Lady Liu who escaped the treason case fifteen years ago?”
Su Xiaojing suddenly stopped trembling. Taking a deep breath, with unprecedented courage and volume, he shouted at Shen Qi: “I am the son of Xin Wang, Zhu Xian!”
From behind Shen Qi, the hooded man said quietly, “My master has long said that Zhu Jintang and Zhu Helin are not of the true imperial bloodline… he is.”
Su Xiaojing… Zhu Xian… were the real ones?
At last, Shen Qi understood.
He understood the secret Feng Que’e had revealed on his deathbed, the deeper secret hidden behind the Demon Book Case, and the greatest advantage the mastermind held, the one that gave him the strongest claim of legitimate cause.
Su Xiaojing said, “Lord Shen, all these years I’ve watched with my own eyes as you and Lord Su loved each other. But someone always came between you, refusing to let either of you go. Just when you finally endured until the late emperor died, his son turned out to be even more unreasonable. A few nights ago, after dark, he summoned Lord Su to Fengxian Hall. It wasn’t until the next day, after the government offices had closed, that I drove the carriage to bring him back. Do you know what Lord Su said while he was sitting in the carriage?”
Shen Qi’s knuckles clenched until they turned deathly white. He bit down so hard he could taste rust. The torn scarlet gauze robe Gao Shuo had shown him seemed like a pool of blood that devoured everything, threatening to swallow his reason whole.
Without waiting for him to ask, Su Xiaojing answered himself. “Lord Su was full of regret. He said, ‘I shouldn’t have resisted the Emperor last night. In the end I couldn’t escape anyway. All I did was make myself suffer more. Right now he’s still willing to leave me a little dignity, but that may not be true in the future.’“
Couldn’t escape. Made himself suffer.
Shen Qi suddenly lunged forward and seized Su Xiaojing by the throat. His eyes were icy and terrifying with murderous rage. “Shut up!”
Su Xiaojing’s eyes rolled back as he was choked. His neck bones creaked under Shen Qi’s grip.
A three-pronged fenshuici dagger hooked around Shen Qi’s wrist. The hooded man advised quietly, “Please calm yourself, Lord Shen. Every wrong has its perpetrator, every debt its debtor.”
Panting like a wounded beast, Shen Qi slowly released his grip. Su Xiaojing’s face had turned purple. He collapsed onto the carriage floor, coughing violently before finally managing to gasp, “…Taking your anger out on me… what good will it do? You want to take him away from the Emperor. Can you? Unless… unless there’s another Emperor……one who won’t covet Lord Su……and is willing to let the two of you be together.”
“Who?” Shen Qi sneered. “You?”
Secretly grinding his teeth in humiliation, Su Xiaojing nevertheless softened his tone.”I know I’m not particularly capable, that’s why I rely on those who are. People like Mister He…or you, Lord Shen. I only want the status that rightfully belongs to me. As for governing the empire, I know nothing about that. I’ll leave it to those who do.”
The hooded man continued, “Great undertakings don’t concern themselves with trivial details. Commander Shen, would you accompany us to meet my master?”
Shen Qi said nothing.
After a long silence, he finally spoke in a hoarse voice. “I do intend to meet him. But not today. Leave.”
Su Xiaojing seemed about to argue further, but the hooded man shook his head. He climbed onto the driver’s seat and gathered the reins.
“My master respects Lord Shen’s wishes. When you are ready, contact the gatekeeper.”
The carriage disappeared into the pale light of dawn, leaving a trail of dust behind.
Shen Qi stood motionless for a long while. Holding his frost-bright embroidered spring saber, he looked down at the three unconscious spies lying on the ground.
Words Su Yan had once spoken echoed in his ears.
“As long as what you’re doing is the result of careful thought, after weighing the pros and cons, and you’re prepared to bear the consequences, then it is something you truly believe must be done.”
“Whether I know about it or not, I will never stand in the way of something you genuinely wish to do.”
“But Qilang, I truly want to spend my life with you. So if there are feelings that become obstacles between us, I will do my best to remove them. Likewise, if certain decisions would create a divide between our beliefs then I ask you to think carefully before acting.”
Deep within the forest behind him, Chu Yuan, dressed in black night clothing, silently withdrew into the darkness. The note he had concealed in his robes was already gone.
