Ye Zhao stepped out of the prison and happened to see Pei Shi’an and Song He talking by the wall.
Song He was stooped slightly, his face clouded with a mix of guilt and shame. He nodded repeatedly in agreement, looking from a distance like a student receiving a gentle lecture for some lapse in concentration.
Ye Zhao felt a flicker of confusion and walked over. "What are you two discussing?"
Song He hesitated, looking quite embarrassed. "Well... that business about you helping Jiang Ziqi scheme against Minister Li’s daughter... Minister Li found out about it. Strictly speaking, I’m somewhat to blame..."
Hearing this, Ye Zhao remembered the matter. "Was it you who told Minister Li, Uncle Song?"
When the two had met by chance on the street earlier, Ye Zhao had mentioned it to him.
Upon hearing this, Song He looked startled and quickly explained, "No, no, no! How could I?"
The moment the words left his mouth, Ye Zhao knew he had asked the wrong question. Judging by Li Yunrong’s reaction, she seemed to know the details quite intimately. He had only mentioned the matter briefly to Song He; the older man wouldn't have known the finer points.
So, it couldn't have been him who leaked it to Minister Li.
Sure enough, Song He continued, "He found out from the Yulin Guards' 'black accounts.'"
He explained slowly, "Old Man Qian, Old Man Li, and I wanted to check some matters with the Yulin Guards. We accidentally flipped to the section recording the business between you and Jiang Ziqi."
"Sigh, it was my own carelessness. I forgot about that part and... right in front of Old Man Li..." Song He was deeply self-reproachful.
After hearing this, everything became clear to Ye Zhao.
He had wondered how the other party knew everything so clearly! So it was the Yulin Guards' black accounts that had ruined things.
Didn't that mean the source of the trouble was himself?
Ye Zhao stopped listening to Song He’s explanations and simply sighed, looking up at the sky. "Truly, I am the architect of my own success and my own undoing. Sigh..."
Why would the Yulin Guards record such things? Wasn't it because they were tailing him?
"Eh?" Song He paused, not yet grasping the meaning of his words, when he heard Ye Zhao ask, "By the way, what were you looking for when you went to the Yulin Guards?"
If they had stumbled upon that record, they must have been looking through files related to him.
Song He and Pei Shi’an exchanged a glance before looking away as if nothing had happened. Song He smiled and said, "Something related to your background."
Well, that one sentence was enough for Ye Zhao to understand everything.
He felt a headache coming on and replied weakly, "Uncle Song, though I know you won't believe me, I really must say—I have nothing to do with Lord Tianshu."
"Those things being said outside are truly just rumors!" Ye Zhao’s every word was firm.
Song He smiled benevolently. "I know, I know. Just rumors."
Seeing the smile on the man's face, Ye Zhao chose to shut his mouth in exasperation. It was another perfunctory answer, like one used to coax a child.
Resigned to his fate, he walked away with a sigh of helplessness.
Behind him, the smile on Song He’s face vanished. "You were right again," he whispered, watching Ye Zhao’s receding back with an inscrutable gaze.
Ye Zhao had indeed asked that question. He asked because he guessed Song He was investigating matters related to him; what he was curious about was the reason Song He had suddenly started doing so.
Pei Shi’an said indifferently, "The reason you gave was excellent."
Song He sensed that the other man wasn't finished, that there should be a second half to that sentence. He instinctively guessed, "But Ye Zhao didn't believe it?"
He had told Pei Shi’an his suspicions regarding Ye Zhao’s identity and later explained the entire sequence of events. Then, the man had told him to hide the true reason for the investigation from Ye Zhao for the time being.
Pei Shi’an smiled slightly and looked at Song He. "What do you think?"
"I... how could I possibly guess?" Song He felt awkward and laughed sheepishly. "When it comes to Lord Tianshu’s thoughts, aren't you the one who understands them best?"
Er...
Song He paused after speaking, feeling as though he had said something wrong, but upon reflection, it seemed correct.
Pei Shi’an was momentarily stunned by his words, then broke into a laugh. "Are you so certain it is him?"
With that, he walked away, leaving Song He standing there in confusion.
*Him?*
Song He was dazed for a moment before it suddenly clicked—hadn't his words just now instinctively treated Ye Zhao as Tianshu?
***
On the way back to the palace, Ye Zhao found an opportunity to ask Wei Feng, "Commander Wei, are the 'black accounts' kept by your Yulin Guards open for anyone to flip through as they please?"
At that moment, Wei Feng looked at Ye Zhao, and Ye Zhao looked at Wei Feng.
As they stared at each other, the atmosphere fell into an eerie silence.
After a long while, the corners of Wei Feng’s mouth twitched slightly. He narrowed his eyes and said in a dangerous tone, "Are you questioning me, or are you trying to settle a score?"
Ye Zhao choked, his rising indignation instantly stifled. "I wouldn't dare. Please don't misunderstand, Commander Wei."
He offered a sincere suggestion: "It’s just that, with things like black accounts... it’s fine to keep them, but... could you perhaps leave me a little privacy?"
"...Once that stuff is exposed, it’s truly life-threatening!" Thinking of this recent incident, Ye Zhao couldn't help but look up and sigh.
Wei Feng chuckled, his intimidating aura vanishing. "What black accounts? The Yulin Guards clearly keep 'Records of Daily Life.' Don't get it twisted."
*Heh... heh heh...*
Ye Zhao wanted to laugh but couldn't; his face was lined with exasperation.
He put it nicely, but who didn't know they were essentially black accounts? Was there a single official in the entire court who didn't fear the little black books in the hands of the Yulin Guards? One entry in those accounts could be the end of you!
Ye Zhao: "Whatever makes you happy..."
Having said his piece, he intended to turn and slip away, only for Wei Feng to lazily drop another sentence: "Rest assured, it’s not as if just anyone can view the information recorded by the Yulin Guards."
Ye Zhao immediately turned back. "Then why were Uncle Song and the others able to see it?"
Wei Feng folded his arms and replied unhurriedly, "Because they had His Majesty’s approval."
Ye Zhao: *What a powerful reason!*
He turned his head back, unable to stop himself from looking up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle. His face was a picture of misery, looking like a poor wretch who had been slapped a dozen times by fate.
He said, "Fine then. I admit defeat."
Ye Zhao walked away, shaking his head. Even though he couldn't see the boy's expression, Wei Feng knew it must be hilarious.
His mood improved considerably.
What Wei Feng didn't say was that, in truth, the records concerning Ye Zhao within the Yulin Guards had already been seen by quite a few people long ago.
***
Beneath the Tianshang Capital, in a dark secret chamber.
"Why have you summoned me so suddenly?" The dim lamplight reflected off a slightly aged face. The halo flickered unsteadily as the man spoke in a raspy voice.
Opposite him stood a figure completely shrouded in a black cloak. Their appearance was hidden, and their gender was indistinguishable, but when they spoke, the voice was extremely muffled.
Undoubtedly, it was a man.
"I feared that if I didn't come to find you now, there would be no more chances in the future."
The middle-aged man’s gaze sharpened as he looked at the person across from him. "What do you mean?"
"The matter of the salt tax has been unearthed. Surely you aren't still unaware?"
"Heh..." He gave a light, mocking laugh. "So what? They can't trace it back to me."
The person in black watched him and said nothing.
The secret chamber suddenly fell silent.
After a long while, the middle-aged man spoke again. "Are you trying to say I’ve been exposed?"
The cloaked man replied, "It is only a matter of time. Otherwise, the Master would not have sent me to find you."
Instantly, silence fell between them again.
The middle-aged man’s expression turned grim. In a tone that could hardly be called pleasant, he spat out, "Who! Who could possibly find out that I did it? The Crown Prince? Prince Rong? Or the Yulin Guards? Hmph! They are all nothing but useless fools."
"Ye Zhao," the cloaked man uttered two words.
"You mean him?" The other man first showed a hint of surprise, then sneered, "What could he possibly find out? He’s nothing but a straw bag. Is *he* overestimating him?"
To whom did that last "he" refer?
The cloaked man did not argue. His voice remained as calm and emotionless as ever. "Regarding that person, it is always better to overestimate than to underestimate."
He suddenly took a step closer and whispered, "If he truly is Ye Zhao, then so be it. But what if he isn't?"
Upon hearing the barely audible sentence that followed, the middle-aged man’s face changed drastically. He couldn't help but recoil half a step.
The lantern in his hand jerked violently with his movement, the shadows dancing uncontrollably.
"How could it possibly be him?!"
Hearing the other’s exclamation, the hem of the cloaked man’s robe swayed slightly. He turned to look at the shadow on the wall. "You don't believe it? I didn't want to believe it either."
"But it is indeed he who has returned. The Master is already certain in his heart." He said hollowly, "Ye Zhao is Tianshu."
In the gloom, the silence lasted a long time.
"Are... are you... joking?!" It took the middle-aged man a long time to find his voice.
The cloaked man seemed to sigh. "Do you think I am joking? Or that the Master would joke about such a thing?"
"But..."
"Even if that man were turned to ash, the Master could not possibly mistake him!" the cloaked man interrupted sternly, his words carrying a hint of ruthlessness, each syllable heavy with intent.
And so, the two fell into silence once more.
A moment later, the cloaked man suddenly asked, "Are you afraid?" He turned his head toward the man beside him.
"Hmph!" The fingers holding the lantern slowly tightened. The shock and astonishment vanished from the man's face, replaced by a grim resolve and eyes burning with hatred. "Afraid? I can't wait for him to return to the world of the living!"
"If Ye Zhao truly is his reincarnation, then we finally have someone to settle this debt with!"
The cloaked man said softly, "Indeed... every injustice has its perpetrator, every debt its debtor. Now that he has returned, we creditors who have wandered the world of the living without release can finally... have blood for blood."
The middle-aged man straightened his posture. "What orders has the Master sent you with?"
The cloaked man leaned in and whispered in his ear.
A moment later, he stepped back.
"I will act according to the orders."
"The Master also asked me to inquire: do you wish to move your family away in advance?"
The middle-aged man didn't answer immediately. He lowered his eyelids and thought for a moment. After a few breaths, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "No need."
He said, "A few gather in loneliness in the world of the living, while hundreds sleep in the underworld. Better to die all at once and reunite... that would be a form of completion."
Amidst the heavy atmosphere, a sense of tragic heroism emerged.
The cloaked man slowly backed away two steps, bowed, and performed a formal salute.
"Farewell, My Lord. We shall meet again in the underworld."
A laugh escaped the other man’s lips, sounding both sorrowful and joyful. "We shall."
He suppressed his laughter, his gaze becoming firm and filled with a touch of finality. "This time, I will certainly drag him down with me. Before the Hall of King Yama, I will argue the rights and wrongs of it all, and see how many rounds of hell his sins are enough for!"
With that, he turned and departed.
After the two left the area, sand and soil refilled the secret passage, burying everything within.
This was their final contact.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 羽林卫 | Yulin Guards | The Imperial guards/secret police. |
| 生活起居录 | Records of Daily Life | The official term for the surveillance logs kept by the guards. |
| 天枢 | Tianshu | A mysterious figure from the past; also the name of the star Dubhe. |
| 天上京 | Tianshang Capital | The capital city of the setting. |
| 阎王殿 | Hall of King Yama | The court of the ruler of the underworld where souls are judged. |
| 小黑账 | Black accounts | Informal term for secret ledgers or dirt files. |
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