Unarmored | Chapter 71 | A Shared Secret at Dawn | Novela.app

Xiao Nanhui felt that Lu Songping must be part rabbit. A wily rabbit has three burrows, and only a rabbit could run so fast and so silently, vanishing into a hole in an instant, leaving no trace behind. She was only half a step behind, yet by the time she tried to pursue him, he was nowhere to be found. Naturally, the carriage that had brought her there had also vanished. Poor as she was, she had spent her time on that earthen slope focusing entirely on his movements, paying no mind to the path. Had it not been for the sparse cover of the desert and the one or two flickers of light from the military camp, she feared she would have spent the night in the desolate wilderness. After a delay of about half an hour, she finally rushed back to the camp, out of breath, just as a roll of blood-stained felt was being carried out of the main tent. She froze, a sudden chill washing over her heart. Could it be that the Emperor had been... by the spy... She dashed toward the tent. The soldiers guarding both sides reacted quickly, seizing her firmly. As she struggled, she cried out in grief, "Your Majesty! Your Majesty! I have arrived too late! It is all Lu Songping's fault for not showing me the way and running off on his own..." "What are you wailing for? I am not dead yet." The familiar voice rang out from behind the felt curtain, and Xiao Nanhui’s cries were choked back into her throat. A moment later, Lu Songping’s face peeked out from behind the curtain. He gave her a thin, mirthless smile before turning to the soldiers. "This is General of the Right, Lady Xiao. Release her at once." The soldiers hesitated before letting go of the strange woman. She stood there for a moment, covering her face in embarrassment, then turned as if to flee. "Come in." The voice from inside the tent spoke again. Xiao Nanhui’s feet shuffled back and forth on the ground. In the end, she didn't dare simply turn and leave, so she obediently entered the tent. The interior was quiet, showing no sign of the soul-stirring events that had just transpired. However, she had clearly seen the blood on that roll of felt; something must have happened. "I have arrived late. I beg Your Majesty’s forgiveness." "Your devotion to me is truly touching." It would have been better if he hadn't spoken; his words only made her face burn more fiercely. The cold air she had inhaled during her frantic run began to expand in her lungs, and she couldn't help but cough. "This... I thought..." "Stand and speak." "Thank you, Your Majesty." Only then did Xiao Nanhui stand and look up. She saw Sui Wei slowly adding fresh charcoal to the brazier. In the shadows behind him stood a wooden rack, and hanging from that rack was a man. The blood on his chest was not yet dry, though his face had been cleaned. She vaguely remembered him as the Upper Military Adjutant, Zhu Tingmao. So, the internal traitor had been caught? Truly, appearances were deceiving. Who would have thought the one who sabotaged the thousands of elite cavalry of the Guangyao Camp was such a withered old man? Ding Weixiang was sitting on a footstool in the corner, wiping his long blade. Noticing her gaze, he merely blew on the moisture that had not yet dried on the steel. "General Xiao has come at an inopportune time; you missed the most exciting part." "It is not too late to watch the aftermath," Sui Wei said, standing up and walking to a spot a pace away from Zhu Tingmao. "For a mere civil official, you possess extraordinary capabilities. I am truly impressed." Sui Wei shook the iron chains that pierced through the man's bones, and Zhu Tingmao’s face paled further. "I was negligent before. It seems ordinary ropes cannot hold you, Master Zhu. Now, I have had to borrow the hooked barbs from the armory. They are a bit crude, I imagine, but you must endure." Having torn away his final mask of disguise, Zhu Tingmao no longer wore his usual air of honesty. His lips curled into a mocking sneer, and his eyes held a trace of numbness. "You need not waste your efforts. I admit my skill was inferior, but I will tell you nothing." Sui Wei’s lashes lowered, seemingly indifferent to the resistance in the man's words. "Do you know, Master Zhu? Before your assassination attempt, I only harbored suspicions. Even regarding your visit to the prisoner camp, I only knew for certain when you admitted it yourself." Zhu Tingmao froze for a moment, his expression shifting instantly. He should have realized. Tonight, the camp's torches were halved. Even the Black Feather archers, renowned for their eyesight, might not have been able to distinguish exactly who went where in the darkness. Furthermore, he possessed some martial skill; it was impossible for him to be shadowed without noticing. He had been tricked into exposing his own identity as a spy. "But..." "But how did I suspect you so early on? Is that it?" Sui Wei crooked a finger, and Lu Songping, standing to the side, took a stack of letters from a secret box and presented them respectfully. Zhu Tingmao took one look and knew exactly whose letters they were. "Have you forgotten how my ancestors won this land? The first thing my royal father taught me was how to control the court officials. The movements and associations of officials below the six-hundred-dan rank are reported once a month. For those above a thousand dan, even their correspondence is placed upon my desk. Family letters are, of course, included. By comparison, though your rank is not high, you fall within this scope of surveillance. If your letters became too frequent, someone would compile them into a report for me." The muscles in Zhu Tingmao’s jaw bulged as he gritted his teeth. He could hardly believe that his downfall had been planted months ago. "You are a clever man. You knew the risk of sending secret reports from Quecheng was too great, so you hid what you wanted to say within these family letters. It seemed secure." "I never explicitly mentioned the matter in the letters. How did you discover it?" The corners of Sui Wei’s mouth quirked. He rarely smiled, and he never laughed aloud. That expression was more like a silent mockery. "It seems Master Zhu has come to seek instruction. Very well. Since we agreed today that we should be candid as sovereign and subject, I shall not hide it from you. After my Black Feather Guards intercept an official's family letters, they record and investigate them. This includes both overt messages and hidden codes. But since it is a code, there must be a clue to be found. Starting half a year ago, the term 'rheumatism' began appearing in your letters." Zhu Tingmao remained silent, but his heart surged violently. He had suffered from rheumatism for years; choosing those two words as a code should have been the least likely to arouse suspicion. "Indeed, the words 'rheumatism' seem unremarkable, but they signify an illness. If written to the elderly or young in one's hometown, they would hardly appear once in a thousand letters. Illness is a taboo subject, and mentioning it only adds to one's worries. These words seem logical, but they lack sentiment. Yet, in the letters you sent to Haicheng, the term appeared three times in a single month—and then, news of Prince Kang’s death arrived. This was the first flaw." "For this campaign against Bijiang, you did not expect me to lead the army personally. The secret lines you previously used to intercept war reports sent to the palace were useless, so you had to find a way to follow us to the front lines. As an adjutant, you were not required to join the campaign, yet you did not hesitate to drag several clerks along to provide cover for you. Instead, you gave yourself away. This was the second flaw." "A few days ago, my General of the Right returned to camp in disguise to report to me. You calculated that this might be related to your sabotage of the Guangyao Camp’s surprise attack. Overnight, you had someone replace the interrogating officer, ordering him to secretly kill the prisoner. This was the third flaw." "If you wish, I could count many more for you. It is a pity, Master Zhu, that you are covered in flaws, yet you believed yourself invincible. The person who employed you truly has poor judgment." Zhu Tingmao trembled all over, whether from pain or fury. It was a long time before he squeezed a sentence through his teeth. "Your Majesty may indulge in your clever tongue. I am already a broken man; listening to a few more words is like an itch..." "Does Master Zhu intend to drag his entire family to the grave with him? Ah, but I suppose it is true—I heard your beloved only son passed away from a seasonal illness a year ago. I imagine you have nothing left to lose." Though Zhu Tingmao’s expression did not change, his breathing grew ragged. Xiao Nanhui, who had been standing silently by, suddenly felt the scene was familiar. Yes, this Zhu Tingmao was so similar to An Lü back in Hozhou. Both were willing to sell their lives for an unknown figure, and both had lost those dearest to them. "I have dealt with people like you before. The reason I have not handed you directly to the Right Censor of the Court of State Ceremonies is that I wish to hear a few sincere words from you. If you do not speak now, I do not know if you will ever have another chance." The expressions on Zhu Tingmao’s face shifted. He seemed lost in memories of the past, yet eventually, he was forced back to reality. After a long silence, he murmured. "Your Majesty is the master of these mountains and rivers, but you are not the master of this world." Sui Wei lightly gathered his sleeves, the wide fabric concealing the sarira beads on his wrist. "Birth, age, illness, and death; shade, sun, prosperity, and decay; the shifting of the stars and the turning of the heavens—when have these ever changed because of a human heart? Master Zhu, surely you haven't grown senile." "I am not senile!" Zhu Tingmao’s emotions flared. This was the first time he had tried to struggle since being nailed to the rack, causing the iron chains to clank loudly. "May I ask if Your Majesty knows why the Qiu clan of Niexuan, so decadent and absurd, could reign as kings over this land for hundreds of years? Does Your Majesty truly not wish to know the secret of the Qiu clan?" Ding Weixiang had already drawn his blade, the tip pointing directly at Zhu Tingmao’s throat. "Presumptuous!" "Weixiang." Sui Wei’s voice was calm, yet Ding Weixiang sheathed his blade, though he moved a few steps closer to the Emperor. "Rumor has it that the forty-ninth Emperor of Niexuan, Qiu Yuan, could commune with the gods and command the five elements. Is the secret you speak of referring to this?" He spoke lightly, but Xiao Nanhui, listening from the side, was filled with shock. What kind of royal secret was this? Could she choose not to listen? Would the Emperor kill her later to keep her silent? Zhu Tingmao showed no surprise at Sui Wei’s words. Instead, a look of madness appeared on his face. "Exactly! Only those of divine blood are the true kings of this world! To serve a god, I would die ten thousand deaths!" "Are you telling me that gods truly exist in this world, and the one you serve is a descendant of these gods?" "He is not a descendant of a god; he is the god himself." Zhu Tingmao lifted his head, red veins spreading through his wide eyes. At this moment, he seemed unable to feel the pain in his body, his eyes shining with a strange light. "Why doesn't Your Majesty come with me to see that miracle? Anyone who sees it will be humbled by it. As long as one serves with a sincere heart, let alone this world, even eternal life and perpetual youth are..." "I see you have gone mad." Sui Wei’s voice turned cold, as if his interest in the man had also cooled. "Drag him away and interrogate him thoroughly. Find out if Prince Kang’s matter is related to him." Ding Weixiang took the order and had men remove Zhu Tingmao from the rack, dragging him out of the tent. The chains left a trail on the ground, passing right by Xiao Nanhui’s feet. Zhu Tingmao’s gaze rested on her face for a brief second. Suddenly, he shouted, "General Xiao, is Marquis Qinghuai well?" Xiao Nanhui was stunned. Before she could react, Zhu Tingmao had already looked away, muttering unintelligible words to himself—sometimes laughing, sometimes raving with curses. It was unclear if he was faking it or if he had truly lost his mind. Zhu Tingmao’s voice finally faded into the distance until there was no sound at all. A deathly silence filled the tent. Ding Weixiang and Lu Songping stood quietly, as if long accustomed to this atmosphere. Xiao Nanhui could only stand there awkwardly, beginning to wonder why she was even in the tent. It seemed the Emperor had called her in? "You may leave. I wish to be alone." Lu Songping and Ding Weixiang bowed and withdrew. Xiao Nanhui hurried to follow. "Xiao Nanhui." Her foot, just a step away from leaving the tent, froze in place. After a long pause, she reluctantly turned back. "What are Your Majesty’s orders?" "Accompany me for a walk." *** Dawn on the wilderness always arrives a bit earlier. Light drives away the gloom of the long night, pushing the boundaries of illumination into the distance. Xiao Nanhui lowered her head, huffing as she climbed the earthen slope. Looking up, she could see the waves of the man's heavy fox-fur cloak rolling in the wind just two or three steps ahead. An hour ago, she had just come down from this wretched hill, and now she had to climb it again. The Emperor had spoken, requesting her company. Wherever he went, she had to follow. If anything happened to him, Ding Weixiang would likely scream about flaying her alive. There was simply no reasoning with it. Sui Wei remained silent. The coarse desert sand brushed against his cheeks, yet he didn't even try to block it, only stopping occasionally to let out a low cough. Finally, there was no more path ahead. Xiao Nanhui felt as if she had been granted a reprieve and quickly spoke up to clarify the fact. "Your Majesty, there is no path forward." Sui Wei said nothing, his back to her as he looked toward the eastern sky. A sliver of red light was stirring there, about to break through the horizon. Xiao Nanhui blinked. This was the second sunrise they had watched together. She and Xiao Zhun had never watched a sunrise. Although she had followed him on military campaigns since she was a teenager and had endured countless nights, during those innumerable dawns, Xiao Zhun had never given her the time to stop and look. She had always passed them by in a hurried glance. An atmosphere like this—two people alone, quiet to the point of being isolated from the world—was something she had never experienced. Truly, the encounters of life were sometimes inexplicable. After finishing her internal reflections, she suddenly remembered the scene when she left Bijiang at sunset. Because of the many strange occurrences, she hadn't reported it immediately, but now seemed like a good opportunity. After all, the man before her was temperamental. He looked pleasant now, but if he later charged her with "withholding information," she wouldn't be able to bear the consequences. "Your Majesty, I... I have a matter that I have failed to report." Sui Wei’s back remained silent. She hesitated for a moment, but felt that since the words were out, she couldn't swallow them back. "When I was in Bijiang, I saw An Lü. He seemed to be in league with the Bai clan. I also discovered that he seemed to possess some kind of secret technique, which is somewhat similar to the 'miracle' Zhu Tingmao mentioned..." "Tell me, do you believe there are so-called miracles in this world?" Sui Wei suddenly interrupted her. This was the first time since revealing his true identity that he had referred to himself as "I" instead of "We" in her presence. But this only put her in a difficult position. She wasn't so stupid as to think she could overstep her bounds with reckless words, so she could only stammer, "As Your Majesty said, those are the words of a madman, not to be believed." Sui Wei turned his face slightly. The wind blew his long hair, tied behind his head, loose. The strands brushed across his eyes, blurring his current expression. "My mother could be considered one of those people with 'perpetual youth' he spoke of. Her appearance did not change for over a decade. But do you know the outcome of such a divine blessing?" Xiao Nanhui was stunned. She had heard rumors about the Emperor’s birth mother—only that she had once been greatly favored, but later, because of her strange appearance, rumors of demonic influence arose. In the end, she was confined to the deep palace, gradually went mad, and died in sorrow. Her end was truly tragic. If the person standing before her were Yao Yi or Bo Lao, she could have clapped them on the shoulder, shared a drink, offered a few words of comfort, and finally gotten drunk together. But the person before her was the Emperor. She had never faced such a situation. Not just her—perhaps none of the hundreds of officials in Tiancheng had ever faced such a situation. In a flash of insight, she suddenly remembered the words he had spoken that night at Baiyao Pass. Only now did she begin to understand why he loathed the idea of eternal life so much. "Your Majesty once said that eternity is an illusion. It is precisely because beauty eventually fades that we cherish the present more. Is it not so?" Her words were scattered by the wind, drifting away. She didn't know how many of them reached his ears. In the next instant, Sui Wei suddenly turned around, closing the distance between them by several steps. They were already standing close, and now they were almost face-to-face. Her feet forgot to move for a moment. She looked up and could almost feel his breath—carrying a cold scent—firmly locking her in place. "How about I tell you a secret?" He had switched back to his formal title, yet his tone lacked the majesty of a sovereign, sounding instead like a child who knew nothing of the world. Those half-smiling eyes suddenly became vivid at this moment, the rising sun behind him casting a dazzling light that gave even his temples a spirited glow. "My mother was burdened by others. The mad person spoken of by the world was not her—it was I." Xiao Nanhui stared into those pitch-black pupils. The rising sun lit two fires within them, blazing with the wind, gradually spreading into a prairie fire. "Xiao Nanhui, are you afraid of me?" The man was exposed in the golden morning light, even the fine down on his face clearly visible. It was as if, at this moment, he had shed his gloom and disguises, leaving no room for schemes or calculations, becoming reachable, warm, and real. He wore no hairpin today, only a silk ribbon tying his hair. The wind grew stronger, blowing the ribbon until it was about to fly away. As if possessed, she reached out and caught the ribbon that was about to drift off. After a moment’s pause, she stood on her tiptoes and tied the ribbon back into the Emperor’s hair. "There are tens of millions of people who fear Your Majesty; one more or less makes no difference to me. Therefore, I am not afraid." Fine sand flew in the wind, as if trying to blur someone's eyes. The Emperor’s lashes lowered slightly, concealing the emotions within. "Xiao Nanhui, remember the words you have spoken today. Do not regret them in the days to come." *** **Glossary** Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation ---|---|--- 上军佐史 | Upper Military Adjutant | A military administrative rank (Zhu Tingmao's title). 风痛 | Rheumatism | Literally "wind pain," used as a code word in the chapter. 涅泫 | Niexuan | A historical or legendary region/dynasty mentioned in the text. 裘氏 | Qiu Clan | The ruling family of the Niexuan region. 青怀侯 | Marquis Qinghuai | The noble title held by Xiao Zhun. 舍利子 | Sarira beads | Buddhist relic beads worn by the Emperor. 右将军 | General of the Right | Xiao Nanhui's military rank.