24 Chapter Twenty-Four

The night of blood stretched on, devoid of dawn. Once the grand army breached the city gates, they swept through the capital like a thunderbolt, cutting a path of carnage all the way to the palace.

Prince Chen, realizing the game was lost, gathered the Imperial Jade Seal, the dragon robes, and the Emperor’s secret edicts, attempting a frantic escape. However, he was intercepted at the city gates by the generals of the Northwest Army, who had been lying in wait. He was struck down on the spot.

With the usurper dead, the rebel forces within the city collapsed into chaos, scattering to loot and flee. The city was still filled with the clamor of men and the neighing of horses. The righteous army pursued the remnants, slaughtering the stragglers.

Xingqing Palace.

Emperor Shun’an, rescued from his claustrophobic confinement, lay gasping on the dragon bed. His complexion was sallow and darkening, his lips turned a deep, bruised purple.

The entire staff of the Imperial Academy of Medicine stood huddled around the dragon bed, whispering in heated debate. Only after a long while did the Chief Physician step out of the inner chamber to report to the Prince of Jin—who stood still clad in blood-stained dark armor—and the senior officials who had survived the siege.

The Chief Physician bowed respectfully. "Reporting to Your Highness, His Majesty was already frail. Combined with the slow-acting poison and the long confinement in that wretched cell, we can only do our best to prevent his immediate collapse. As for his long-term recovery, we must first purge the root of the poison before we can assess his condition."

At these words, the assembled elders beat their chests and stamped their feet, their fury directed toward Empress Wu and Prince Gong, who were locked away outside the hall.

"Wolf-hearted ambition! Sheer, wolf-hearted ambition!"

"To think the Empress would conspire against her sovereign, all to seize the mandate of heaven for a treacherous villain!"

"Such venomous rebels must be executed at once!"

As the fervor mounted, the man at the head of the assembly raised a hand to silence them.

The officials fell quiet, fixing their gazes forward.

The Prince of Jin’s expression was cold and stern. He said in a deep voice, "Lady Wu is the Emperor’s first wife, wed to him since his youth. She followed him from the days when he was but a 'hidden dragon' and graced the throne as Empress for decades. While she conspired to commit regicide, as ministers, how can we openly demand the execution of the Mother of the Nation? To do so would violate the way of a subject—it is an act of abandoning righteousness and propriety. Do not mention this again."

The gathered ministers looked at one another, then bowed. "We respect Your Highness’s judgment."

Zong Lin stood up, his armor clashing with a heavy sound. His gaze was cold and dark as he looked toward the courtyard outside. "My intent is this: keep Lady Wu and the head of the rebels, Zong Shun, in the dungeons until His Majesty awakens, then proceed with judgment."

"As for the Wu clan and the rest of Prince Gong’s household..."

The officials looked up, waiting in silence.

"Those under fifteen shall be exiled to the border to serve as forced laborers."

"Those fifteen and older... execute."

***

The Prince of Jin’s Residence.

It was a cold night in early autumn; the last lingering heat of summer had completely faded. As night fell, the biting wind carried the chill of desolation.

During the chaotic struggle between the princes, the master they served had emerged from his "hidden dragon" state to claim the capital. The entire residence had been immersed in the excitement of a bright and untrammeled future.

Yet, everything had come to a grinding halt once their master returned home.

Every night had become a time of terror and extreme caution for the entire household.

Another sound of shattering porcelain echoed from within. He Cheng, standing guard outside the door, was in a state of extreme anxiety. From behind the door, his master’s furious roar erupted once more:

"Bring the sedative wine!"

The head of the kitchen staff, trembling from head to toe, hurried to lead the servants in bringing the freshly prepared wine into the room.

He Cheng’s face was twisted in anger as he stepped forward to intercept them.

"Oh, my dear Commander He!" The kitchen head nearly knelt before him, tears streaming down his face. "Please, don't stop us! When His Highness is in a rage, you might be safe, but my head will be the first to roll! Besides, His Highness has been exhausted by court affairs and military duties for days. If he doesn't get a good night's sleep, his health will collapse!"

Before He Cheng could struggle further, a roar came from inside the room.

"Are all of you in the kitchen dead?!" This was followed by the distinct, chilling sound of a sword being drawn from its scabbard.

The kitchen head didn't care about He Cheng’s livid expression; he shoved him aside, and the servants rushed into the room. They moved as if they had wings on their feet, delivering the items and then fleeing in a cold sweat.

He Cheng grabbed the servant. "How is His Highness?!"

The servant swallowed hard, his voice trembling. "N-not good. I only saw... His Highness standing behind the desk, staring at something on the paper. He looked furious, holding his sword, and the floor was covered in broken porcelain, jade, and wood..."

He Cheng let him go and watched the kitchen staff retreat with profuse gratitude.

He turned back to look at the crimson-lacquered doors of the main chamber and, raising his hand, struck himself hard across the face.

If he had known—if he had known that his master would be so haunted by that woman—he would never have tried so hard to stop him. He should have acted from the start. Even if she had bitten her tongue and refused to the end, they had plenty of ways to force her to obey.

If they couldn't have her heart, they could at least have the person, giving his master a place to vent his obsession.

But now, after so many days of chaos in the capital, the General Zhongshun’s residence had not yet been razed. Prince Chen had controlled the city, and the Xu family had surrendered to him, so they were safe. After their army breached the city, because there were simply too many officials involved in the two rebellions, they had merely surrounded their residences, pending further disposition.

But that Lady Li—she had moved out of the General’s residence. No one knew if she was even still alive. A weak woman, burdened with two maidservants, could have starved to death even if she escaped the violence of the war.

However, he remembered that the place where she lived was right next to the General’s residence, which had not been looted.

But if she were alive, the situation would be far more difficult to handle than before.

Now, their master refused to hear anything related to this woman. Because He Cheng had previously reported in great detail just how loyal and devoted she was to her late husband, their master, a scion of the imperial line, was unwilling to force a chaste widow who already had her heart set on another. It would be too shameful.

Yet, their master’s current state was... truly...

He looked fifty percent like the old Prince after the Consort had passed away.

And back then, the old Prince had fallen for the Consort at first sight, sacrificing his military merits and reputation to have the Emperor annul her existing engagement, stealing her away by force to make her his wife.

They say a son must resemble his father, but who knew it would include this?

The late Emperor had loved the Empress dearly, yet he had never been so pathologically obsessed; he still maintained his harem of thousands. Why did their master have to suffer this fate?

The more He Cheng thought about it, the worse he felt, and he struck the other side of his face just as hard.

Just as he was spiraling into despair, a sharp, thin voice rang out from the nearby corridor:

"Commander He."

He Cheng looked up. He recognized the man—it was Jiang Hubao, the adopted son of the residence’s head eunuch, Jiang Sihai.

It was on a night just like this, in the master’s courtyard, that his father had once crept up to find him. The situation was strikingly similar.

He Cheng’s expression darkened, and he didn't move.

But Jiang Hubao was not annoyed, nor did he offer the fawning smile his father had. Instead, he walked down the corridor and approached him.

"Commander He," Jiang Hubao said with a smile, "do not be offended. I truly have something of great importance to discuss with you."

He Cheng looked at him coldly. "You? Last time your foster father came to me claiming he had an 'important matter,' do you remember how that ended? I recall you even took ten lashes on his behalf."

Jiang Hubao’s smile did not fade. "I haven't forgotten. I haven't forgotten those fifteen military lashes you dealt me, either. In fact, I keep them in my heart and reflect on them often."

He Cheng’s face suddenly went grim. "You...!"

"Commander He, don't be in such a hurry to get angry. I’m not saying this to provoke you. On the contrary, I’m telling you that I truly wish to ease His Highness’s burdens," Jiang Hubao said, his eyes narrowing into slits.

He stepped closer and lowered his voice. "Commander He, if I may be so bold—if I haven't guessed wrong, His Highness has set his sights on a certain woman, hasn't he? And that woman... I suspect she is not some unmarried noble maiden."

"If I may be even more presumptuous, she is a widow, isn't she?"

He Cheng’s gaze turned sharp, and a murderous aura flared; his hand gripped the hilt of his sword.

Jiang Hubao did not flinch. He kept his smile, and his fist, clenched and sweaty inside his sleeve, slowly relaxed.

...He had bet correctly.

"Commander He, can we go somewhere private to talk now?" Jiang Hubao asked. "You don't need to worry. If I were to commit some act of treason, you could dispose of me easily. I’m right here in the residence; where could I go? I’m just a eunuch. Even if I risked my life to flee the capital, the whole world is the Emperor’s land. You are so deeply trusted by His Highness; catching me and killing me would be as easy as turning over your hand."

He Cheng looked at him steadily for a long time, then turned and walked toward the edge of the courtyard. "Follow me."

Jiang Hubao smiled and followed.

In a secluded corner, He Cheng spun around and seized Jiang Hubao by the throat.

"Speak! How did you know?!" his eyes were fierce.

Caught off guard, Jiang Hubao struggled for breath, clawing at the hand on his neck. "Y-you... if you don't let go... how can I... speak..."

He Cheng stared at him for a few moments before releasing his grip.

Jiang Hubao gasped for air, leaning over to cough violently. After a long while, he looked up.

"I... I guessed it when you were heavily punished."

He Cheng’s eyes widened. "What?"

Jiang Hubao stood up straight, rubbing his bruised neck, and put on a smile again, laying out his deductions from that day.

He Cheng was shocked. He hadn't expected that the senile old fool Jiang Sihai had raised such a cunning adopted son.

Jiang Hubao tucked his hands into his sleeves and spoke slowly. "Commander He, I believe in treating people with sincerity so they treat me in kind. I won't play games with you. I want to have a hand in this so that my master and I can secure a place by His Highness’s side. But even if we servants have our own selfish motives, we know that we only thrive when our master is well. So, you don't need to worry about my intentions."

He Cheng’s gaze remained cold as he watched him, not answering immediately.

Jiang Hubao continued, "Commander He, you’ve seen it yourself. These days, when has His Highness ever had a peaceful sleep? The great cause is nearing completion, and His Highness will eventually be the master of the world. Yet he suffers because of a woman. Not to mention the toll it takes on him, wouldn't this eventually become a great harm to the nation?"

"A sovereign plagued by lovesickness and inner demons—if we servants cannot solve this for him, what use is our lives?"

He Cheng was silent for a long time before looking up. "You have a way?"

"I need you to tell me everything about that woman first, then I can think of a way," Jiang Hubao smiled. "Commander He, you fight battles—you know that one must know oneself and the enemy to be invincible."

He Cheng closed his eyes, let out a long, heavy breath, and leaned in to whisper.

Jiang Hubao’s eyes darted around. As he listened, his emotions shifted from shock to doubt, and finally to excitement.

He Cheng stepped back, looking at the thin eunuch who was smiling with a hint of agitation. "Well? Have you come up with a plan?"

"I told you, that woman is a chaste widow. His Highness refuses to stoop to forcing a virtuous woman. If you’re thinking of kidnapping her, you might as well abandon that idea."

Jiang Hubao couldn't help but laugh aloud, though he quickly lowered his voice because they were in a secret meeting. He looked at the tall, burly man opposite him.

"Commander He, you rough men in the military rarely see women. You don't understand the complexities of a woman’s mind; their way of dealing with the world is quite different from men’s. You investigated her, yes, but you did so with a straight-forward, arrogant assumption of who she is."

"Why haven't you thought about it more carefully? That Lady Li is so devoted to her late husband, so chaste and loyal, refusing to remarry to the point of death, yet she has no family to rely on. After her husband died, why didn't she stay in the General’s residence? She could have served her in-laws and lived in comfort. Why move out and struggle to make a living on her own? Unless... there is no love lost between her and that General’s residence."

He Cheng froze, stunned.

"As for His Highness, set your mind at ease. Let me investigate further, and then I will formulate a plan," Jiang Hubao said with a smile. "Women are always better swayed by softness than force. I won't be suggesting that base tactic of using power to seize a widow for His Highness."