In the sixteenth year of the Lingwei era, on the second day of the second month, a daughter of the Bai clan attempted to assassinate the Sovereign upon the Yue River.
That night, the lamps of the Emperor’s traveling palace burned bright until the first light of dawn, their brilliance eclipsing the very stars and moon.
At that moment, Xiao Nanhui was staring blankly at the pitch-black night sky.
Unlike the dim shadows of the Last Day Sacrifice, the traveling palace tonight was ablaze with light, yet the atmosphere was one of chilling execution. The crackling bonfires illuminated the inner courtyard with a piercing red glow that smothered the stars, making the sky above seem even more oppressive and dark.
She knelt upon the cold, hard ground. Her hands had been bound behind her back for so long they had grown numb and stiff, yet she did not even notice.
Her thoughts were still trapped in the events of an hour ago. When she had scrambled up from atop Bai Yun and looked out from the Pavilion of Listening Winds, the high platform had already descended into utter chaos, a scene of world-shaking upheaval.
The panicked crowds had surged forward, toppling the wooden railings along the riverbank. People fell into the water; others were trampled underfoot. The air was thick with a never-ending cacophony of wails and screams.
Those sounds still echoed in her ears, refusing to be driven away.
Someone walked past, brushing against her. Xiao Nanhui blinked, her vision finally focusing on her surroundings.
The terrified performers were huddled together in a heap, their tears and sweat smearing the greasepaint on their faces into a grotesque mess—a perfect reflection of the night’s turmoil.
Officials from the Interrogation Bureau and the Ministry of Justice moved through the crowd, dragging one or two away for questioning to eliminate any possibility of internal collusion. The performers who were taken away shrieked in terror, their fingernails leaving bloody furrows in the dirt.
Not far away, the sacrificial altar and ritual implements used on the platform had been smashed open and dismantled for inspection. The pure white rock sheep that had been offered up lay on the ground, its limbs stiff with cold. Its severed head sat nearby, blood still wet, its horizontal pupils like two half-open doors staring directly at Xiao Nanhui.
Since ancient times, sacrifices required animals of a pure, solid color, and they were known as "Sacrifices." Among them, pure white calves and lambs were considered the finest. White symbolized purity, and youth symbolized vitality; these were the gifts most favored by the gods. Rumor had it that the pupils of a rock sheep could connect the realms of heaven and earth. Others said they were, in fact, the gates to hell.
She reached out, wanting to close those eyes.
In the next moment, the tightly shut doors of the great hall swung open with a heavy thud, and the anxious atmosphere of the inner court spilled out along with the cold wind.
The assembled ministers, who had been waiting for a long time, all lowered their heads in silence. No one dared to whisper. The footsteps of palace maids, eunuchs, and physicians mingled together, occasionally punctuated by the sharp reprimands of Shan Jiangfei, his voice taut with tension.
She could hear every word drifting from the inner court, but her mind was in such a state of disarray that she could not process their meaning. The voices gradually merged into a chaotic roar, circling inside her head.
A familiar figure emerged from behind the corridor of the inner court—it was Ding Weixiang, his face grim. He seemed to cast a glance in her direction, his eyes filled with fury, but he eventually looked away and turned toward the side chambers.
Ding Weixiang hadn't rushed over to strike her down; did that mean the Emperor was still alive?
She saw that Ding Weixiang held half of a black-feathered arrow in his hand. The shaft had been cleanly severed by a blade—clearly his handiwork.
Xiao Nanhui breathed a small sigh of relief, but then a sense of unease returned.
The shaft was there, but where was the arrowhead?
Her heart began to waver again. Anxiety and dread crawled over her like insects, biting into every inch of her skin, trying to burrow deeper.
Another group of physicians hurried in through the side door, looking older than the previous groups. Not one of the white-bearded old men dared to dally; they shuffled their feet as fast as they could, their medical chests nearly slipping from their grasp.
Xiao Nanhui’s heart felt just like those precarious chests—she didn't know what was inside, only that everything was being tossed about, upside down and side to side.
Though she sat perfectly still, she felt as if the entire world was shaking. It took a long while for her to realize it wasn't the world moving, but herself trembling.
Amidst this torment that felt like a slow execution by a thousand cuts, the waning moon began its westward descent.
The cold wind blew across the golden toads perched upon the eaves of the temple, rattling the bronze pearls in their mouths. The sobbing, wailing sound echoed through the traveling palace like a funeral dirge.
With a creak, the main doors of the hall finally opened wide. Palace attendants stood with bowed heads on either side, clearing a central path.
Shan Jiangfei stepped out slowly, his eyes half-cast down, not looking at the various expressions of the people in the courtyard.
"Everyone, His Majesty requests your presence."
With those words, a collective sigh of relief rippled through the inner court.
The Emperor was not dead.
As long as the Emperor lived, there was still hope.
Xiao Nanhui also breathed a sigh of relief, but then someone grabbed her collar from behind and dragged her forward. She then saw Bai Yun being brought in through the side door, her hands and feet bound in heavy iron shackles.
A realization suddenly struck her: she was in no position to worry about others. If she could not prove her innocence, she would be classified as a rebel alongside Bai Yun, and the entire Xiao Manor would be implicated.
The temperature inside the hall was very low. The massive bronze charcoal brazier was gone, replaced by that familiar lotus clepsydra.
The ministers were already accustomed to this atmosphere. It seemed that as soon as the rhythmic dripping began, everyone was instantly transported back to the long, dark, and seemingly endless Yuanming Hall in the Imperial City.
Someone started it, and soon the ministers in the hall began a chorus of fervent concern for the Emperor’s health.
After a round of competitive well-wishing and fawning inquiries, the scene fell silent once more.
The Emperor sat regally beneath the divine statue. The incense burning on the table before him sent up plumes of blue smoke, shrouding his face in an ambiguous gloom.
He seemed to shift his posture, resting his forehead lightly against one hand.
"We are unharmed. However, Lady Cui took an arrow for Us and her life now hangs in the balance. We are deeply concerned."
Lady Cui?
Xiao Nanhui suddenly realized the identity of the woman who had been sitting beside the Emperor at the ceremony. No wonder that figure had looked so familiar when she viewed it from the Pavilion of Listening Winds.
Cui Xingyao, the daughter of the late Prince Kang. The beautiful woman who carried the hopes of her entire clan, sent into the Imperial City upon a palanquin of silk and embroidery. She was the woman Xu Shu loved, and the woman who shared the Emperor’s bed.
Including the time on the small hill outside Que City, Xiao Nanhui had seen her three times from a distance, but she had never truly taken her to heart.
But now, that name was etched into her mind in an instant, with a terrifying intensity.
Someone in the hall let out a sob, the sound particularly jarring. Then, a round-faced civil official with short eyebrows and a somewhat clumsy gait stepped forward to salute. It was Cui Xingyao’s uncle, the current Minister of the Imperial Clan, Yu Youwei.
"This old servant has lost his composure. To hear such news brings a pain I cannot suppress. Yet, when I think that my niece could sacrifice herself for Your Majesty’s safety, I am also filled with solace. I only pray that Your Majesty’s vast blessings will protect her through this crisis."
Yu Youwei prostrated himself on the ground, his shoulders trembling as if in the throes of extreme grief. Beneath the statue, the Emperor gave a slight wave of his hand, signaling for him to rise.
"Minister Yu, please rise. Lady Cui is quiet, refined, and of steadfast character. We have already titled her a *Shuyuan*. She is destined to carry this grace; she will surely turn this calamity into a blessing."
Yu Youwei’s plump waist swayed nimbly as he performed another deep bow.
"This old servant knocks his head in gratitude for Your Majesty’s divine grace."
The ceremony over, he finally scrambled up and retreated. Another voice rang out immediately.
"Since Your Majesty is unharmed, I request to conduct a strict interrogation of the ringleader of this treasonous plot here in court. I hope for Your Majesty’s permission."
The man speaking had naturally flirtatious "peach blossom" eyes, with many wrinkles at the corners due to age, though one could still see the seductive charm of his youth. However, his thin, sharp lips were pressed downward, ruining the beauty of his face and adding a layer of sinister gloom that made people look away.
This was an aura that could only be acquired from years spent in the dungeons of the Interrogation Bureau. The speaker was none other than Xu Shu’s father, the current Minister of Justice, Xu Zhi.
"Granted."
As that familiar voice spoke, Xiao Nanhui was almost immediately hauled up from the floor.
She was now closer to the figure beneath the divine statue—close enough to see the winding silver threads on his robes, yet still unable to see his face clearly.
He was still wearing the same clothes from the ceremony, looking pristine and untouched, without a single speck of dust or blood.
Then there was her—wearing the same military uniform she hadn't changed for two or three days, covered in dust from the night’s ordeal, her collar pulled out of shape, and the fabric at her knees worn through.
She instinctively flinched, only to realize she couldn't move at all.
She knelt thus upon the cold stone tiles in the center of the hall, subjected to the interrogation and suspicion of countless gazes.
The last time she was in this hall, he had been so close to her.
Now, after only a day or two, he was as far away as he had been when they first met.
"Rebel Xiao Nanhui, you conspired with the Bai clan remnants to commit assassination. Now that both the culprit and the evidence are seized, how do you intend to defend yourself?"
Xu Zhi spoke, and his first target was not Bai Yun, but her.
Xiao Nanhui finally knew where Xu Shu got his foul mouth. She must have slaughtered his entire clan in a past life to be so at odds with the Xu family in this one.
She tried her best not to look at the face of the man who sat at the top of the empire's list of cruel officials, staring instead at the pale blue space behind him.
"I booked a seat at the Pavilion of Listening Winds only because I longed for the sea bass feast. My loyalty to the empire is clear for all to see; I have no heart for rebellion, nor did I participate in the assassination. I beg Your Majesty to look into the truth!"
Xu Zhi noticed her gaze, and his next question struck directly at her vitals.
"Then would the General of the Right care to explain why Bai Yun was in the same room as you? And why she used a black-feathered arrow of the empire for the assassination?"
To this accusation, Xiao Nanhui had no defense.
"I do not know. I previously borrowed a bow and three black-feathered arrows from the Black Feather Camp merely to practice my archery. Lieutenant Lu can testify for me."
Xu Zhi gave a cold snort. "Lu Pingping was derelict in his duty. He commands the entire Black Feather Camp yet could not even keep watch over a high-profile prisoner. He has yet to clear his own suspicion; how can he testify for you?"
Since everyone who could prove her innocence was already implicated, she could have a thousand mouths and still not be able to explain herself.
After a suffocating silence, that familiar voice finally spoke.
"Nanhui bought two invitations for the sea bass feast, intending for me to accompany her. However, I was unable to attend for certain reasons. The other invitation is still in her room at the villa. If Minister Xu does not believe it, he is welcome to send men to search. I ask you, my Marquis Manor is of one heart and mind; if we were plotting an assassination, why would we leave such evidence in the room?"
Xiao Zhun had stepped forward to speak for her after all.
But at this moment, Xiao Nanhui felt no joy or happiness.
The moment Xiao Zhun stood up, he was destined to be tied to this affair.
However, words coming from her mouth carried no weight; it was vastly different when they came from Xiao Zhun.
This defense caused a small stir among the ministers. Some seemed to nod in agreement, yet the crime of treason was enough to make anyone recoil. No one dared to stand up for the Marquis Manor at such a time.
In the past, when Xiao Zhun’s military achievements were illustrious, who in the court didn't want to curry favor with him? Now that he had stumbled, not even a single voice of protest could be heard.
Such is the fickleness of human nature.
"That might very well have been a deliberate ruse left behind to deceive us. I fear the words of the Marquis of Qinghuai prove nothing."
Though Xu Zhi’s words were meant to wound, they were logically sound.
Regardless of anything else, she was indeed in the same place as Bai Yun when the event occurred.
"If We remember correctly, earlier in Bijiang, it was the General of the Right who captured the daughter of the Bai clan."
The silent figure above suddenly spoke, and Xiao Nanhui could feel the atmosphere in the room shift subtly.
Taking advantage of this momentum, someone finally stepped forward.
"Exactly!"
A voice rang out from behind Xiao Nanhui, surprising her.
Su Pingchuan’s voice was hurried, a far cry from his usual arrogant demeanor. "I was also present during that battle. I can testify that the General of the Right fought the enemy bravely without retreat. There is no possibility of her colluding with the Bai clan rebels."
Given Su Pingchuan’s rank, he normally wouldn't have a say in this trial. But behind him stood the Prince of Xuanyuan’s Manor, and even Xu Zhi had to show some degree of caution.
Xu Zhi’s expression remained almost unchanged. His eyes turned toward Xiao Zhun’s seat, changing his line of attack.
"She may have had no past dealings with the Bai clan, but the Marquis of Qinghuai is a different story."
The ministers sighed, and whispers broke out.
For some of the elder ministers who had been in court for many years, the old affairs of the Xiao Manor were clearly no secret.
It was just that this secret had never been fully exposed. There were only three or four parts of certainty, while the remaining six or seven were a mix of truth and lies, built on baseless speculation.
What does it mean for words to be fearsome? This was the first time Xiao Nanhui had witnessed it.
Her hands began to shake again. This time, it wasn't from anxiety, but from rage.
"My adoptive father has stayed vigilant and risked his life for the empire; there is absolutely no possibility of him committing treason or regicide!"
"The Great General indeed performed great service in recovering Bijiang. However, does the world not also have the word 'sentiment'? Some things, no one can say for sure."
Xu Zhi spoke with a composed air, as if he were stating a fact known to all, merely one that hadn't been put into writing.
If her previous emotion was merely anger, now Xiao Nanhui felt as if her very blood was on fire.
The Xiao Manor had few members. After the death of Prince Shuo, Xiao Zhun had almost single-handedly carried the legacy of the clan. Over the years, although the few people in the manor addressed each other as master and servant, they had all relied on one another to survive. Now, with a few casual words, this man was erasing all the lonely suffering the Xiao family had endured for over a decade, staining it with a touch of impurity and inviting people to imagine the worst.
If the dagger on her person hadn't been confiscated, she might have rushed forward and stabbed Xu Zhi several times by now.
The one who tied the knot must be the one to untie it. Xiao Nanhui forced herself to calm down and turned her gaze toward Bai Yun, who had been silent from the beginning.
She still remembered what Bai Yun had said in the Pavilion of Listening Winds; she believed the woman would not harm Xiao Zhun.
"Speak! How exactly did you get to the Pavilion of Listening Winds?!"
To maintain the last shred of court etiquette, she kept her voice low, but it sounded as if it were being wrenched from the depths of her throat.
"Say something!"
Bai Yun remained unmoved. Her gaze had never left the Emperor from start to finish. The depths of her eyes were terrifyingly hollow. Only after a long time did she slowly utter two words.
"Coincidence."
"Are you still going to quibble even now? Without help, how did you escape from the heavily guarded Black Feather Camp? If there was no prior agreement, why, out of all the pavilions and towers along the Yue River, did you choose that specific room in the Pavilion of Listening Winds to strike?"
"Your security is indeed tight, but it is not an airtight wall. As long as it is guarded by men, there are loopholes to be found. As for why I chose the Pavilion of Listening Winds—it is the tallest restaurant along the Yue River. It is usually crowded, making it easy to blend in without drawing attention."
"Absurd. The Black Feather Camp is ten miles from Jiaosong County. How could you reach the city alone before the guards discovered you?"
"Has Minister Xu forgotten? Before my father was promoted to Vice Censor-in-Chief, he served as the Governor of Liangshu Prefecture for eight years. I traveled everywhere with him. I have walked every inch of Jiaosong County. At that time, Minister Xu was merely a disciple under a scholar-official, often visiting our home with books in hand. It was my father who personally promoted you..."
"Silence!" The woman’s ability to strike at the heart was even more practiced than his own. Xu Zhi’s face turned ugly, and his peach blossom eyes dropped their facade to reveal a murderous light. "In the presence of His Majesty, how dare you stir up trouble with such slander?!"
Before Xu Zhi could finish, Xu Shu, who had been standing with his head bowed in the back row, stepped forward and stood side-by-side with his father without hesitation.
"I believe the Bai woman is speaking in circles. She is cunning by nature, and verbal interrogation is useless. It would be better to hand her over to the Interrogation Bureau for immediate torture. That will surely yield the truth of the matter."
As soon as these words were spoken, Xiao Nanhui could not help but look at Xiao Zhun’s expression.
He remained standing where he was, seemingly without much movement, but Xiao Nanhui saw his hand clenched tightly within his sleeve.
Torturing Bai Yun to force Xiao Zhun into a mistake—what a venomous tactic.
She recalled Xu Shu’s reaction earlier when the Emperor mentioned Lady Cui’s grave injury. She had every reason to believe he was using this opportunity to settle a private grudge.
What a pair, father and son. In terms of cold-bloodedness and ingratitude, the younger generation seemed to surpass the older.
However, in the next moment, Xiao Nanhui’s heart sank completely into an abyss of despair.
"Granted."
The Emperor spoke that single word with casual indifference, pushing everything toward a point of no return.
She had no right to blame him, yet she could not hide the disappointment in her heart. He was such a perceptive man; he couldn't possibly fail to see the scheme behind the Xu father and son, yet he still gave his consent.
The supervisors began to summon the interrogators, and the footsteps of the executioners drew closer.
Xiao Nanhui turned to look at Bai Yun. She still showed no reaction, as if she had long expected this outcome.
There are many in this world who view death as a homecoming, but she should not have dragged Xiao Zhun down with her.
Xiao Nanhui suddenly regretted many things. She regretted being distracted at the Pavilion of Listening Winds and failing to stop everything in time; she regretted her whim to sneak into the villa that day; she regretted not pulling the problem out by its roots on the Bijiang battlefield.
If the entire Xiao Manor was implicated because of this, she would definitely kill this woman.
It was all her. It was all because of her. If it weren't for her...
"You’re thinking that if it weren't for me, the Xiao Manor wouldn't be in trouble. Am I right?"
Bai Yun’s voice was very soft, as if intended only for her.
In the next moment, the lightly laughing woman was dragged away by the executioners, but her airy voice drifted back, tinged with mockery.
"Xiao Nanhui, have you forgotten what I said? The one who created this situation and put the Xiao Manor at a disadvantage was never me, but your own choice. If you hadn't stopped me at the Pavilion of Listening Winds, my arrow would have already taken that dog Emperor’s life. How then would Xiao Zhun be held accountable? It was you. It was the choice you made yourself. Between Xiao Zhun and the Emperor, you chose the latter..."
No, that’s not it...
How could it be?
Xiao Zhun had raised her for over a decade; to her, he was a teacher for a day and a father for life, the person she had admired for years but never dared to speak of. How could such a person lose to a man she had known for less than a year, a man separated from her by a vast chasm?
But, in that brief moment when she lunged at Bai Yun, had she really not thought about the consequences of the assassination failing?
How could she not? Of course she had.
She could even imagine the procedures of the various departments' punishments, the expression on Ding Weixiang’s face, and the catastrophic destruction the Xiao Manor might face.
And yet, she had still made that instinctive reaction. The choice made by the mind might not be sincere, but the reaction of the body could not lie.
Even just now, before everything was settled, her heart was still tied to whether he was alive.
She didn't want him to die.
For that, in a single instant, she had gambled the survival of the Xiao Manor and everything she possessed.
***
