Past the fifth watch of the night, the sky gradually brightened. Amid the hazy, grey surroundings, Li Lan hurried towards the side hall of Chunhe Palace.
A moment later, the hall doors opened.
Zhao He and the others emerged, escorting Chao Yan. He had not yet washed or groomed himself; his hair hung loose, and he wore simple, ordinary clothes with a cloak draped over them. At first glance, he spotted Li Lan and dismissed his attendants, gesturing for him to come forward.
Li Lan stepped forward and, lowering his voice, said, “All is settled. On my way here, word arrived that Commander Liu has gone to the West Garden.”
Chao Yan smiled faintly and headed towards the main hall, with the others following closely behind.
Once in the main hall, he changed into his court robes and finished washing. Turning his head, he noticed that Li Lan had not left, but was following him at a short distance. It was already past the end of his shift; he ought to have handed over to his replacement and gone to rest.
Chao Yan asked, “Is there something else?”
Li Lan seemed to hesitate.
Chao Yan waited quietly until Li Lan finally replied, “Your Highness, Commander Liu took my money as well.”
Hearing this, Chao Yan was momentarily taken aback before becoming both amused and exasperated. He cursed the eunuch, lightly patted Li Lan on the shoulder, and said, “I shall have Zhao He make it up to you later.”
Li Lan expressed his gratitude.
Chao Yan kept him to have breakfast, then departed for the Ministry of Justice where, as was customary, he held a morning meeting and commenced his work.
The sun rose above the bare willow branches. Chao Yan put down his pen and stood up to stretch, casting his gaze towards the West Garden.
The West Garden.
Commander Liu sat inside a warm room where a charcoal brazier burned, his hands tucked into his sleeves, nodding off. The Emperor had not yet woken; no matter how grave the issue, he must not be disturbed.
With a sudden thud, Commander Liu closed his eyes as his head drooped and struck the table.
He cried out in pain, his sleepiness instantly vanishing as he clutched his forehead, cold sweat breaking out. Coming to his senses, he let out a long sigh, ordered a basin of cold water, and washed his face. Managing to clear his head slightly, he opened his eyes wide and continued to wait.
He could have chosen to have others wake him, but he did not feel at ease. A man who enjoyed the Emperor’s favour as deeply as he did was bound to be envied and hated by countless others.
Not knowing how much time had passed, he suddenly heard the door open. Looking up, he saw that it was the apprentice of Grand Eunuch Huang.
“Deng Er, has His Majesty risen?” Commander Liu asked.
“Commander Liu,” Deng Er greeted him with a bow and a smile, then stepped across from him, saying, “My godfather told me to let you know that you should smarten up your appearance before seeing His Majesty. His Majesty is in a foul mood.” As he spoke, he maintained an air of mystery.
Commander Liu, subtly and imperceptibly curling his lip, smiled and said, “I understand.”
Deng Er said, “Then I shall not disturb you further.” With that, he departed.
Shortly after, someone came in to attend to Commander Liu’s grooming.
Commander Liu dismissed them with some money, then, with his chest puffed out like a victorious cockerel, strode towards the Emperor’s bedchamber.
The Emperor was currently dining with Consort Shu, who had remained in the West Garden to attend to him. The moment Commander Liu saw the Emperor, his imposing manner instantly vanished. He bowed with the utmost reverence and said, “Your Majesty.” He deliberately pinched his throat, keeping his voice exceedingly low and soft.
The Emperor ate at his own leisure for a while before finally asking, “Have you eaten breakfast?”
Commander Liu replied, “I have urgent matters to report to Your Majesty, so I have not had the chance to eat yet.” His tone was entirely obsequious.
A flash of disgust crossed the Emperor’s eyes. He lifted his chin, allowing Grand Eunuch Huang to wipe his mouth, and said, “What urgent matters? Speak.”
Consort Shu set down her chopsticks and looked towards Commander Liu.
Commander Liu produced a sheet of paper from his sleeve and eagerly proffered it to the Emperor, saying, “Your Majesty, pray look at this.” Grand Eunuch Huang took it, unfolded it without looking directly at the text, and presented it to the Emperor with impeccable etiquette.
The Emperor fixed his gaze upon it. Written on it were the summary findings of several investigations. Though compiled in a simplified style, and though Commander Liu did not know whether the contents were true or false, the Emperor knew at a glance that they were genuine. This was because he had reviewed the backlog of cases in the Ministry of Justice, and because the agents he kept in the shadows had been covertly spying on the various high officials and imperial relatives.
These files all indicated that officials in the court were shifting funds to Prince Yan and the Eighth Prince, Chao Yao, and further alleged that Prince Yan and Chao Yao were in secret communication.
Examining the handwriting on the paper closely, it was clearly written by the Crown Prince, Chao Ziyu. Having read countless memorials from Chao Ziyu, the Emperor was intimately familiar with his script.
The Emperor questioned Commander Liu, “How did you come by this? Did the Crown Prince give it to you?”
Was His Majesty implying that he should not have stolen the Crown Prince’s belongings? But had His Majesty not ordered him to spy on the Crown Prince? How could he be blamed for securing something of the Crown Prince’s and passing it to His Majesty?
Commander Liu felt incredibly guilty, and his smile vanished instantly. He fell to his knees before the Emperor with a heavy thud, trembling as he said, “Your Majesty, I beg you to consider that even if I have no merit, I have at least laboured hard. Forgive this servant just this once, and I shall never… never dare do it again!”
The Emperor frowned.
Grand Eunuch Huang, ever adept at reading the room, immediately berated Commander Liu upon seeing this, saying, “What utter nonsense are you spouting?! When did His Majesty ever say he would punish you? Answer whatever His Majesty asks you, and do not dare deceive him!”
Rebuked by Grand Eunuch Huang’s words, Commander Liu felt as though he had been struck by lightning. He froze in place, and only after a long moment did he snap out of it, hurriedly giving his assent.
He looked towards the Emperor and quickly replied, “It was not given to this servant by His Highness the Crown Prince. Last night, I observed His Highness leaving the Eastern Palace accompanied by Secondary Consort Gu. Sensing something amiss, I followed them covertly, only to see that after leaving the Eastern Palace, His Highness went alone to the residence of Chancellor Meng.
“He emerged only after a considerable time. According to my observations, when Chancellor Meng saw His Highness out of the residence, his expression was exceedingly grim, as though the two had discussed some matter of great gravity while inside.
This servant is foolish and could not fathom what they had discussed. Upon returning to the Eastern Palace, whilst I was racking my brains over the matter, I suddenly heard from my subordinates that His Highness the Crown Prince had privately handed a piece of paper to Li Lan.
My suspicions were aroused once more, so I went to locate this paper myself. After a great deal of effort, I finally secured it. Upon opening it, though I knew not its veracity, I felt it was of immense consequence and dared not delay, hence my rushed arrival to see Your Majesty.”
Commander Liu spoke everything in a single breath, nearly suffocating himself. Once finished, he buried his head deeply against his chest, lest the Emperor deem him lacking in respect.
Silence.
An absolute silence.
Commander Liu stole a glance upward, only to see the Emperor’s face darkening, as though a tempest were brewing.
Fearing for his life, Commander Liu said, “Your Majesty, every word this servant has uttered is the absolute truth!”
The moment the words left his mouth, the round table laden with delicacies was violently overturned by the Emperor. Plates, bowls, chopsticks, and all manner of steamed, fried, and boiled dishes spilled across the floor. The various aromas mingled together, causing one’s stomach to turn. Everyone present dropped to their knees, including Consort Shu.
“May Your Majesty appease your wrath and cherish your dragon body!”
The Emperor stood up and, without uttering a single word, turned and strode away. Seeing this, Grand Eunuch Huang and Consort Shu hurriedly followed.
The Emperor walked briskly through the wintry garden, and his entourage hurried along behind him. As he walked, the Emperor suddenly halted. Caught unawares, those behind him braked sharply, nearly colliding with him.
Fortunately, the Emperor was in no mood to take issue with this. He surveyed his surroundings and saw that within the vast garden, all things had withered and were covered in ice and snow. A sense of boundless desolation and fury welled up within his heart, and he shouted loudly, “Huang De, how have you been managing things! Do you find this garden beautiful?!”
Grand Eunuch Huang turned pale with fright. He scurried to the front of the Emperor, fell to his knees, and pleaded repeatedly, “This servant shall immediately remove these plants and trees that, despite bathing in imperial favour, know no gratitude, and replace them with plum blossoms. Pray appease your wrath, Your Majesty!”
The Emperor looked at him coldly.
Grand Eunuch Huang scrambled to his feet, immediately assembled the eunuchs and guards present, and began uprooting the withered flora in the garden.
Seeing this, the Emperor felt considerably better. A nearby eunuch, keeping his eyes lowered, quickly placed a stool behind him. Assisted by Consort Shu, the Emperor sat down and watched Grand Eunuch Huang and the crowd toil away.
Unaccustomed to such rough labour, the group was soon panting heavily, yet with the Emperor watching closely from the front, none dared slacken and all kept their heads down, working arduously.
Watching the dishevelled state of the crowd, the Emperor felt entirely mollified. He turned to Consort Shu and asked, “What should be done if someone you value betrays you?”
Consort Shu, standing nearby, had already caught a covert glimpse of the paper’s contents. Chao Yan had not mentioned this to her, but upon seeing the document, she understood his intent. As they were allies, she naturally knew how best to answer the Emperor’s question.
She replied, “Your Majesty, I am one who cannot tolerate betrayal. If anyone betrays me, I shall certainly not let them off, unless they had an entirely unavoidable reason for doing so. Why does Your Majesty ask this? Could it be…”
Consort Shu knitted her brows, “Could it be that someone is deliberately plotting against His Highness?!”
She uttered the word “plotting” almost through gritted teeth.
“Your Majesty, whether you forgive this person or not, I shall never forgive them! This individual is utterly rebellious; to say nothing of taking their head, even casting them onto a mountain of knives or into a vat of boiling oil would be entirely justified!”
The Emperor said, “This news of betrayal was uncovered by your son.”
Consort Shu was startled, then immediately added, “Ziyu is indeed as I imagined, exceptionally devoted to Your Majesty. Your Majesty, this is truly your good fortune!”
The Emperor let out a cold laugh and said, “What if Chao Ziyu did not inform me of this news at the very first instance?”
Consort Shu spoke in a soft, gentle voice, “Then he must surely have had some reservations. Your Majesty must not harbour doubts about him.”
The Emperor said, “I thought you were not close to him.”
Consort Shu replied, “After all, he was raised by me for many years. To say there is no affection whatsoever would naturally be a lie, and I dare not deceive Your Majesty. Yet he cannot possibly bear comparison with Your Majesty; you are the most important person to me. I am already taking medicine to nurture my body, and given time, I will surely be able to bear a child tied to Your Majesty by blood.”
The Emperor pinched her chin, asking, “Do you truly think so?”
Consort Shu looked at him in disbelief and said, “Does Your Majesty view me as someone so unworthy of trust?”
The Emperor gazed at her coldly. Consort Shu bit her lip, her eyes filled with grievance as she stared directly back at him.
The Emperor finally released her and said, “Return.” He turned to Grand Eunuch Huang and commanded, “Summon the Crown Prince and Chancellor Meng.”
Grand Eunuch Huang poked his head out from a flowerbed and hurriedly answered, “Yes, Your Majesty.”
