Chapter 246: Clear Weather Arrives Chapter 223: What Must Come

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Protagonist:

Shaowei

Liu Qi

The scene is old, yet the people in the scene have youthful, fresh faces.

At that time, not long after his father and mother had met with misfortune and died, he fled with his clansmen and his father's remaining subordinates to escape pursuit by the enemy army; one night on the road, an aunt from the clan hid him away, and in the haste she shoved him into a woodshed; he trembled and sweated with fear, but kept his head buried and bit his lip, not daring to make a sound.

Also hiding in the woodshed with him was a girl; at that time he and she were not familiar, only because her family elders had been won over by the Liu family to the same camp did they travel together this time.

Faint sounds of fighting came from outside; when his fear nearly drove him to rush out, a hand reached over, took one of his hands, and used a finger to silently write characters in his palm, which was slick with cold sweat, stroke by stroke.

He came from a distinguished family, began his studies at three, and was especially perceptive in matters of poetry, prose, brush, and ink; his attention was drawn and captured by those strokes, and without realizing it he carefully distinguished them; when she finished writing, he immediately recognized the two large characters she had written: "Don't be afraid."

He slowly curled his fingers, clutching the two intangible characters, and only then managed to raise his head and turn his face to look at her.

The woodshed was dim; her eyes were very bright, like stars, like precious pearls.

Such a pair of eyes truly suited her name — about a year and a half later, he said this to her.

Her face reddened slightly, yet she was not modest either; tiptoeing to pluck the fragrant wintersweet blossoms from the branches, she said: "My Mother gave me this name, so naturally it's a good one."

And now she sits in a wheelchair, remarking with emotion: "These children are far bolder and more capable than we were back then."

"Yes..." Yan Mian replied softly, walking slowly, gazing into the night, watching the flickering firelight sway all around.

Walking a short distance further, they heard the lantern-bearer in the wheelchair ask: "Quan Shan, do you have something on your mind?"

Yan Mian's steps paused slightly, then he continued pushing Feng Zhu forward, asking in a measured voice: "Zhu'er, after this upheaval the situation will surely gradually stabilize — why don't we get married, alright?"

After a moment, Feng Zhu smiled and said: "Quan Shan, that night I already told you, at our age this matter is no longer important, and there's no need to rush."

She said seriously: "Separated for so many years, we've both been through too much; it's only these past few days that I've slowly steadied my mind, yet I still don't know how your days have been these years I was away, what you've experienced... if you're willing, would you tell me about it?"

Yan Mian smiled: "Good, then no rush; I'll tell you slowly."

The two walked and talked slowly; Pei followed seven or eight steps behind, and Mo Li kept overtaking Pei as he walked, only to be grabbed and pulled back by Pei to correct the distance.

Passing a crossroads, a squad of Fine Clothes Guard rushing back hurried past; the leader who had escaped with his life was covered in blood, and from several paces away he saluted Yan Mian and Feng Zhu, then quickly left.

The imperial carriage was escorted back to the lodging; an order was issued that the Emperor would see no one tonight, only physicians attending.

He Pingchun, unable to see the Emperor to plead guilty, nevertheless threw off his robe and knelt, performing the grand rite, kowtowing three times, toward Shaowei whom he had intercepted halfway.

Performing this grand rite was both for public duty and private gratitude; the private part: "He thanks My Lord for the great grace of saving his life!"

Today he failed to stop Du Shulin and instead fell into mortal peril; as a minister of the Son of Heaven he could not submit to the wicked rebels, so he had to resist to the death.

However, the enemy was numerous and powerful, their attacks ruthless and decisive; the Fine Clothes Guard in the Rui residence were blocked and surrounded and could not come to the rescue; he and the mere dozen confidants at his side were all heavily wounded, gradually forced into a dead-end alley; just as they were about to be overwhelmed, a group of ten-odd mysterious figures wearing ghost masks suddenly dropped from the sky — each possessed outstanding martial skill, and their styles were extremely varied; men and women, tall and short, all manner of hidden weapons and poison smoke — they snatched him from the gates of hell and saved him.

Having been saved, he naturally asked their identities; as the leader turned to leave, he only dropped one sentence: "Just regard us as God's Messengers."

He reacted for a moment, then immediately understood; he hastily treated his wounds, rushed back to Shanglin Park, pushed through the startled crowds, found his true benefactor, and thus the present kowtow.

When he kowtowed the second time, Shaowei had already stepped aside; now she felt rather ill at ease but feigned composure; she stood ramrod straight, hands behind her back, and said: "It's fine; it was only right."

What did "only right" mean? He Pingchun raised his head, baffled; Shaowei explained: "He Xi —"

He Pingchun froze, ah, his daughter... he subconsciously hurried to reply: "Very well, she eats and sleeps well, very healthy!"

Shaowei: "I meant I gave your child a name, so saving you in passing was only right."

He Pingchun was stunned and terrified; she had saved his wife, named his child, therefore saving him was only right — how could such a perverse, heaven-defying good person and good deed exist in the world?

That overbearing good person whose code of conduct utterly defied heavenly principles admonished him: "Today's rescue, you know, I know, do not spread it."

He Pingchun hurriedly nodded: "Naturally! Please rest assured, My Lord; He will keep his mouth shut tight!"

Those people were highly skilled and seemed to have been watching the Rui residence from early on; he sat in the position of Commander of the Fine Clothes Guard and knew that some matters hovering between light and dark could be made big or small; toward a benefactor who had protected the country and saved his life, he naturally had to lean toward protection.

Shaowei gave a satisfied "Mm"; she had cured the wife's poison, given the child a name, earned a life-saving debt, and now shared a secret to keep — already a fairly solid ally on her shoulder.

Shaowei's plain summary contained its own truth; after He Pingchun rose, he unconsciously fell in a step behind her, his slightly lowered voice carrying a hint of "one of us" as he asked for confirmation: "I heard just now that My Lord alone summoned the Iron Cavalry reinforcements, and with divine power slew the rebel leader Du Shulin... I wonder if these rumors are true or false?"

"Of course they're true." Shaowei answered, then cautiously added: "However, that Du Shulin is quite capable; he avoided a vital arrow wound, but whether he died thoroughly after falling from his horse remains to be seen until we see his corpse."

"Du Shulin originally came from the Ling Family Army, has seen battle, is skilled in archery and horsemanship, and possesses extraordinary strength; as far as I know, his martial skill is still above Zhu Zhi's, yet this time he was still shot off his horse by My Lord's single arrow — truly showing how extraordinary My Lord's 'divine power' is..."

He Pingchun continued, mentioning his former superior who died early, and couldn't help thinking that this former superior also died during My Lord's sacrificial ceremony; thus he himself only securely sat in the Commander of the Fine Clothes Guard position — and thinking now, there was indeed an early karmic connection between him and My Lord.

He couldn't help finding it amusing — indeed, once people establish intimate affection, there are always endless forced connections of fate entangling them.

The two conversed, exchanging information, gradually walking far away.

The moon departed with the people; the morning sun pierced the clouds and mist, myriad lights born, human voices boiling.

An autumn hunt, yet the number of people killed by power struggles exceeded the number of beasts; the Emperor ordered the cancellation of the next few days' hunting, reduced the killing, appeased the sins, and also to prevent the traitorous remnants scattered and hiding in the mountain forests from causing trouble and harming people.

This special autumn hunt began with Rui Ze's bizarre death, causing many to feel as if in a dream; followed immediately by such a heaven-shaking upheaval, making it even harder to react.

In a single night, Crown Prince Cheng plotted rebellion and died. The Sixth Prince Qi Hu protected the carriage with merit, and received Heavenly Mechanism's recognition, therefore gained divine favor and recovered from illness, and was on the spot established as the new heir; even more steeped in divine narrative was the process of Heavenly Mechanism requesting troops —

A palace eunuch in Shanglin Park spread in a low voice: "Heavenly Mechanism appears and Zicheng Flourishes... it's said Heavenly Mechanism could sense the Zicheng Emperor Star trapped in peril, so it timely went to request reinforcements; Heavenly Mechanism encountered obstruction on the way, and summoned the Mountain Lord fierce tiger to clear the path!"

"Precisely because of the portent of the fierce tiger clearing the way and following, the soldiers all recognized it as Heaven's Mandate, which is why they dared break precedent and risk leading the Iron Cavalry out!"

Another eunuch interjected: "What I heard with Quan Wa differs; they say the Shaman God transformed into a fierce tiger to seek aid!"

All manner of god and ghost explanations emerged endlessly, no one stopped them, and there was no reason to stop them.

The Emperor and the Court both needed such Heaven's Mandate talk to stabilize deterrence and hearts; since ancient times, even completely baseless matters could be fabricated out of thin air to build momentum, let alone this time where there are indeed traces to follow.

Similar precedents are too numerous to count; just take the founding Emperor of the current dynasty slaying a white snake to raise the banner — the slain white snake was said to be the White Emperor Son incarnate, the founding Emperor the Red Emperor Son; this saying is still regarded as the symbol of the Liu family ancestors receiving Heaven's Mandate to overthrow the Former Dynasty legitimately.

The Court above and below all know that the divine narrative borne by Heavenly Mechanism and the Sixth Prince this time can greatly reduce the turbulence from the heir change — from the Rui family partisans above to the civilian forces below, under the suppression of this absolute Heaven's Mandate narrative, it is very hard to stir up hearts and provoke disorder; those who dare question it deserve death.

Nobles and officials familiar with such political tactics still cannot discern what proportion of this affair is true or false; but once it spreads to the common villages and wilds, it becomes almost established fact.

For a time, the tale of Heavenly Mechanism saving the world sank deeper into hearts; the vast mind-power gained by the Great Shaman God undoubtedly ranks first, followed by the new heir Sixth Prince Qi who received Heavenly Mechanism's recognition.

As for the fate of Deposed Crown Prince Liu Cheng's faction, it is much the same; Liu Cheng's rebellion failed and he died, Rui Huanghou hanged herself to atone; Grand Commandant Du Shulin was shot off his horse by the Shaman God, but his confidants took advantage of the chaos to rescue and flee; this man had long prepared a back road for himself; he hid dead soldiers and confidants in a mountain forest in Shanglin Park, and later they came to support upon receiving his signal; however he was heavily wounded, still besieged and pursued, forced off a cliff; his corpse is still being searched for; another accomplice, Middle Attendant Guo Shi, has already been thrown into prison —

Guo Shi held the Imperial Seal that day, issuing commands, but a grey-robed ghost-masked man forcibly broke in, killing and seizing the seal. Guo Shi cherished his life above all; at the first moment he ran out shouting that there was an assassin. The grey-robed man, in the course of forcing his way in and snatching the seal, inevitably suffered injury; having obtained what he wanted, he swiftly disengaged and left.

Guo Shi was terrified, instinctively sensing that a great matter had gone awry. After pacing back and forth weighing the situation, he no longer waited for Du Shulin to arrive with troops, deciding to flee and avoid danger first; returning later if things went smoothly would not be too late.

So he changed into an ordinary eunuch uniform, slipped a token that might come in handy into his sleeve, stuffed a dagger and gold cakes into his bosom, intending to slip away through the back door amid the chaos. However, before he could push the door open, he suddenly heard someone chasing from behind calling "adoptive father."

Seeing it was one of his adopted sons, Guo Yu, Guo Shi hurriedly instructed him to stay behind and wait for news.

Guo Yu, however, smiled and said: "Adoptive Father, you cannot leave. Stay here with your son."

Staring at his adopted son for a moment, Guo Shi also smiled, then suddenly tried to yank the door open and go. But Guo Yu moved faster, grabbing his adoptive father from behind and pressing him face-down onto the ground.

Guo Shi's face pressed against the floor; he struggled. But he was plump and not tall, had not done heavy labor for a long time, and was advanced in years; in terms of strength he was naturally no match for his adopted son in the prime of youth.

So he began to weep and curse: "They say raise sons to provide for old age, yet I raised a white-eyed wolf... This matter isn't over yet, and the son is already rushing to use his father to earn merit? Truly I doted on you in vain!"

"Your doting on me was earned, endured, and calculated by your son. At first you also did nothing but beat and scold me; it was merely that your son could endure the most and knew best how to serve you..." Guo Yu took out hemp rope, speaking as he bound his adoptive father's hands behind his back.

Upon hearing those two words "calculated," Guo Shi's struggling paused, and his face slowly changed: "... Who are you working for? Who is your true master!"

Guo Yu's hands did not stop; his clenched teeth relaxed, and the name he answered through tears was that of a deceased person.

The Empress, the Ling Empress.

Guo Shi froze — back when he was still a little eunuch and came to his side, it was that Empress Niangniang's arrangement?

Planting spies in every corner of the palace is perfectly normal; he was not without precautions, yet he never detected it. Moreover, all these years have passed, and the Ling Empress has long been dead...

"When the incident happened back then, you still did not trust your son, so your son had no way of knowing what you did behind the scenes; that is why you succeeded..."

Guo Yu carried some self-reproach, and in a hoarse voice recalled: "When Niangniang sent me out back then, she only said to gather intelligence if possible, and if not, it didn't matter. Or if she were gone one day, we could all freely seek new masters. In this palace, staying alive is the most important thing..."

"So you are instead loyal and devoted, never forgetting!" Guo Shi angrily denounced: "These are all tricks nobles use to buy people's hearts. She and the Ling Crown Prince advocated the Daoist faith's non-action and freedom, never restraining anyone, yet that instead bound hearts even more tightly... It is merely a technique!"

"Yet you truly believe and remember. A mere slave, yet you speak up for dead nobles... Are you not base, are you not foolish! In the end, who remembers you!"

"Your son remembering Niangniang is enough!" Guo Yu wept and shouted loudly.

"Your son is different from adoptive father. Adoptive father only wants to survive; your son back then wanted to throw himself into a well! It was Niangniang who saved your son!"

These years in the palace, he had seen too many things, so he naturally knew that the bit of kindness nobles let slip through their fingers is entirely capricious, sometimes merely a matter of mood. But: "Your son survived because of this; your son lives solely to repay kindness!"

"After the Sixth Prince returned to the capital, it was your son who took the initiative to send him a letter!"

Guo Shi was heartbroken and furious, spitting curses and weeping, yet he also understood everything clearly, including that scroll of the so-called Zhuang Yuanzhi's memorial "Change Heir Apparent."

All of it was traps, schemes, mockery!

Guo Yu lifted Guo Shi, whose hands were bound behind his back. Guo Shi powerlessly knelt down again, weeping and laughing: "Schemed all my life, and in the end I am the one schemed against. What was destined to come has still come... Karma, karma."

With a thud, Guo Yu, face full of tears, also knelt in a certain direction and kowtowed heavily.

Half a month later, the ministers knelt and kowtowed before the Main Hall of Weiyang Palace. The Emperor held court and formally invested the sixth son, Liu Qi, as Crown Prince, publicly reading the investiture document and bestowing the Crown Prince Seal and ribbon.

Liu Qi received the investiture document and the seal and ribbon, bowing in thanks to the Sovereign Father above.

The next day, clad in the heir apparent's robes, ribbon and seal complete, the radiant youth stepped into the court hall. Before the ministers, he once more bowed to the Sovereign Father, and in his capacity as Crown Prince made his first petition.

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