Chapter 257

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Shaowei

Liu Qi

In Tianhe Year 18, on the first day of the second month, the long-shocking Ling Case of two was overturned and vindicated; Marquis Changping, Ling Empress, and Crown Prince Gu regained the truth and their innocence, rewriting the millennia-old infamy of treason and rebellion recorded on the previous page of history.

On the second day of the second month, during the Heaven Sacrifice at the Shrine, the Great Witch God representing the Mandate of Heaven communicated between heaven and earth through witch dance; after many days of overcast clouds, the clouds dispersed and sunlight suddenly appeared, an omen of darkness returning to light, witnessed by all ministers, none failing to regard it as an auspicious sign.

Yet on the same day, Crown Prince Liu Qi suddenly claimed to have found Liu Yu, the daughter of Crown Prince Gu.

Upon seeing the child, the Great Witch God immediately pronounced: with the old case vindicated and heaven and earth in resonance, this child appeared by the will of Heaven's heart, an auspicious omen of the High Heaven's pity.

Amidst the clamor of discussion, the bloodline descendant of Crown Prince Gu, hailed by Heaven's Mechanism as an "auspicious omen," wearing the cross-collared right-lapelled garment common among ordinary folk children, its cuffs frayed, and three-color felt shoes on her feet, arrived before the towering palace gate.

Seeing the tall palace gate and gazing down the endless palace corridor, Xiao Yu's eyes flashed with a trace of bewildered unease; then she looked up at the youth in dark robes on her left, then at the shadow in blue-green witchcraft attire on her right, reached out a hand to grab a corner of the witchcraft sleeve, and boldly stepped over the vermilion door threshold.

Along the way, palace attendants all avoided and bowed with lowered heads; in the attendants' sight, only flickering clothing shadows were seen, three shadows—two large, one small—wandering across the early spring palace corridor.

The smallest shadow was like a fish, resembling a pitch-black nether fish, a shadow without form, thus imaginable as any appearance; veteran palace attendants imagined what that nether fish should look like, watching that little fish as if it swam out of the Ming River floating with many soul spirits, under the protection of one National Relic and another National Divine Artifact, swimming all the way to the palace steps of Weiyang Palace, then climbing upward, leaping into the hall, splashing a heart-stirring water splash.

The Emperor needed not strain to imagine what this little fish looked like; he could face her directly, and must face the face of this child kneeling obediently before the sickbed.

Without fine clothing or adornment, even though the child wore only ordinary old clothes, her bloodline and origin could not be concealed...

The Emperor put on his robe and leaned against the bed, staring blankly at the child's eyes, for a moment unable to tell what day it was, as a great confusion submerged him for an instant.

The child continued to recount her experiences and how she appeared, claiming she was adopted by a medicine woman outside the city, afterward wandering homeless, and because yesterday she witnessed the omen of sunlight breaking through clouds, she was drawn out from the ruined Taoist temple where she hid, and met the people sent by her uncle to search for her whereabouts.

"Good, good, a guidance of heavenly intent..." The Emperor did not press further, still gazing at those auspicious phoenix eyes, murmuring: "Just like Siyuan, exactly the same, exactly the same."

The child slowly blinked, with some curiosity: "Xiao Yu does not remember what Father looked like."

The Emperor's gaze paused slightly, then heard the child speak innocent words: "Imperial Grandfather, Xiao Yu wishes to worship Father, Mother, and Great Mother, but does not know where to go to worship?"

After a moment of silence, the Emperor spoke in a hoarse voice: "The truth of this case has just come to light; afterward I will order a palace built for your Great Mother, your parents, so their soul spirits have a place to rely, so their descendants have a place to worship..."

The child bowed down: "Xiao Yu thanks Imperial Grandfather for your grace."

The Emperor watched the small figure bow and rise, then the child drew from her bulging collar an object, holding it high with both hands, saying seriously: "Uncle gave this to Xiao Yu, saying it was a relic left by Father in Xian Tai Gong, to serve as a remembrance for Xiao Yu... but Grandchild thinks, since this object was copied by Father for Imperial Grandfather, it should be returned to Imperial Grandfather."

The child feared he might find it inconvenient to take; shifting her kneeling legs, she drew closer to the bedside, holding the object even nearer with both hands.

The Emperor restrained his emotions, slowly extended his hand, and took the roll of old silk scroll, still gazing into the child's eyes.

This child was eloquent, her eyes unwavering; besides natural intelligence, she must have read books, and her aura did not bear the look of long wandering and begging, but these no longer mattered; too many things had been forced to become unimportant...

The Emperor sank into "being forced," including taking this silk scroll now; as the scroll was taken, it unfolded, and the writing on it forced itself into his sight, compelling him to face it directly.

The clear, upright handwriting was just like that youth; seeing this writing forced him to see the image of that figure sitting upright and seriously copying scripture, a calm picture of anxious expression.

But after that, bloodlight appeared, calm shattered, and that child's face must surely have been filled with unbelievable alarm and sorrow...

The pictures he had always been unwilling to imagine all drilled out from between the lines, turning into long needles stabbing him; the Emperor's spine trembled slightly, he suddenly bent over, coughing violently, with hoarse wind sounds echoing in his withered chest; he fell into great tension, yet a tender hand fell on his back, patting and soothing, once and again, each vibration seeming to pass through skin and bone and land on the heart, magnifying his pain, aggravating his torment.

Siyuan's child, the auspicious omen in the eyes of the world, before him seemed to turn into a malicious proof of guilt, just like that scripture, once used to pray for blessings, now brought forth to curse him...

The Emperor gasped for breath, raising eyes brimming with tears from coughing, his blurred gaze looking toward the youth who spoke with concern: "Imperial Uncle, are you alright?"

"Your Majesty..." the inner attendants also knelt around him.

But in the Emperor's eyes all things lost color; this bedroom palace he had deliberately never changed finally served its purpose, like a gray-white spirit hall now filled with relics and proofs of guilt.

Yet the case was already concluded; now bringing forth these proofs of guilt, whom was he trying?

Trying whom?!

He could have waited until after his death to retry the case; he could have waited until after his death to bring the person back; yet on the very next day after the investiture of the Crown Prince, he forced him to issue an edict for retrial; yet on the very next day after the pardon edict was issued, he brought this child before his eyes...

Step by step pressing closer, impatient beyond endurance!

The Emperor's tear-filled eyes suddenly sharpened, shooting out sharp, sorrowful, angry blade-like gazes; Xiao Yu, patting his back, was startled and instinctively withdrew her hand, but thinking of the Young Master and Uncle behind her, she held herself together and did not show too much fear.

But the child was after all a child; facing that fragile face that was fearful yet striving to be strong, the Emperor finally slowly closed his eyes, and a breath slowly escaped from his chest, turning into a weak, hoarse sound: "Enough, I am unharmed..."

"Yu'er." He called the child's name, saying to her: "Since you have returned home, go take a look at the palace where your Father and Mother lived when they were alive, as a form of worship... the ritual needs someone to preside; please ask the Witch God to take the lead and bring you there."

Xiao Yu answered "Yes," walked to Shaowei's side after she rose from her salute, and followed Shaowei out.

Liu Qi also saluted and rose, following them out, but when he reached the Zhuque Screen, a hoarse voice sounded behind him: "Siyuan, you stay behind."

Liu Qi stopped, not immediately turning back; he looked at Shaowei ahead, who had already reached near the hall door; the bright sunlight outside the hall enveloped her, and in the sunlight she looked back at him, who was in the dimness, slightly raising her eyebrows, her eyes faintly carrying a hint of arrogance, as if encouraging his audacity, letting him act boldly and recklessly.

Conveying this look, she immediately strode away without lingering.

Though she left, she would always be there; certain she would wait for him ahead, Liu Qi's heart settled, unafraid of the damp and dimness behind.

Liu Qi stood still, quietly watching Shaowei's shadow disappear; then inner attendants and palace maids passed by him one after another, rows of figures silently lowering their heads and bowing as they retreated, as if scenery moved backward beside him, light and shadow flowing in reverse.

"Do you resent me, take revenge on me... is that it?"

The Emperor slowly spoke, finally pushing open that dust-covered broken window.

Dust danced in the sunlight, flashing with fine specks of light; Xiao Yu walked among them, holding a corner of the Young Master's sleeve, asking softly: "Young Master, what is Uncle staying behind alone to do?"

Shaowei calmly replied: "To fulfill filial duty."

To the living, fulfill filial duty unto death, flay their hearts.

To the dead, fulfill filial duty unto life, redeem their souls.

The living erupted at this moment with long-suppressed questions—

"Since you returned to the capital, to the autumn hunt at Shanglin Park, you have schemed against everyone, including Me... I closed my eyes, pretended not to know, still let you be this Heir Apparent, and handed over all the lands of the world to you."

"You want to retry the case, every single one must be retried; you did not consult Me with half a word beforehand, but brought the ministers to pressure Me, and I still yielded to you."

"I still entrusted all affairs to your hands; I let you reward meritorious generals, let you win over hearts, hold the authority of reward and punishment, so that within and without the court all willingly serve the Young Master as subjects..."

"Now your position as Heir Apparent is secure, the grievances of your mother, brother, and uncle are also cleared... I have already done my utmost to make concessions, concessions never made in this life; are these still not enough?" Tears forced their way into the Emperor's eyes; looking at the back by the screen, he asked word by word: "Liu Qi, what exactly do you want Me to do?!"

Facing his unevenly breathing angry question, the youth's shoulders moved slightly, as if he had laughed soundlessly, and then finally turned around, revealing a beautiful and calm face with a faint smile.

"These things Imperial Father spoke of do not count."

The Emperor only felt he was hallucinating. What?

"Because these were not given voluntarily by Imperial Father, but were given by Imperial Father under Child Minister's scheming and coercion." Liu Qi's eyes held a smile: "Child Minister became this Crown Prince because Child Minister's heart to kill enemies is firm, and Child Minister's heart to serve the gods is pure and clean, thus gaining Heaven's Mandate's favor, yet not because of Imperial Father's deep love and bestowal."

The Emperor's lips trembled slightly, and he heard this son say: "On the contrary, Imperial Father truly should rejoice..."

Liu Qi turned his head slightly, raised his right hand, his wide sleeves brushed, and casually pointed toward the hall doors outside: "That year Child Minister knelt outside those doors, Imperial Father must have harbored murderous intent, right? Fortunately Child Minister spoke a mouthful of lies and escaped a calamity, otherwise this realm would have no one to inherit it, would that not mean ruining it from Imperial Father's hands."

"It is Imperial Father who needs Child Minister to be this Crown Prince." Liu Qi turned his head back, looking at the Emperor's emotionally surging eyes, and said: "Because Imperial Father was once a heroic lord and also a wise ruler, therefore Imperial Father knows very well that if the realm is ruined, a hundred years later, how the history books will judge Imperial Father. And in the nine springs below, how Imperial Father would make loved ones grieve and enemies rejoice."

"Imperial Father at this moment must surely have anger and hatred toward me, yet should also be rejoicing that there is still this son of yours, no?"

Utterly unconcealed, fearless with backing, great treason and impiety!

The Emperor's anger gave rise to grief. The words of rebuke reached his mouth, but meeting that face still bearing traces of childhood, what came out turned into a grief-stricken trembling voice: "Good, good. You truly hate Us. You have always hated Us..."

"Today We must ask, on what grounds do you hate Us?"

"Your mother conceived you in the year We ascended the throne. We regarded you as a generous gift bestowed by Heaven, and also thought you were the one most like Us. Since you did not need to be the heir apparent, We let you follow your own inclinations entirely. Things you disliked, We never bore to force you..."

"Because We treated you with partial love and indulgence, from a young age you were closer to Us than others. When you were three you ran a high fever, yet still fussed for Us to hold you. The physicians said the charcoal fire in the bedchamber palace was too hot, not conducive to the fever subsiding, so We held you and went to the outer hall—"

The Emperor braced one hand before himself, and pointed toward the outer hall with the other: "In the twelfth month, We held you all night in the outer hall. You suffered from the fever, so We got up holding you, rocking you, patting you, coaxing you, walking the full hall..."

"As parents, Our painstaking love for you — how was it ever less than your mother's!"

The Emperor's eyes reflected tears, full of unwillingness. It was precisely because the past painstaking love and affection were never feigned that he would be willing to believe this son's words of trust that "Imperial Father was merely deceived" —

However...

"You were already lying when you knelt outside that year. You began scheming against Us from that time, wanting to retaliate against Us... But before that, We never failed you! Why did you never think of standing on Our side? We are the Son of Heaven, the father who loved you and raised you!"

"Answer Us. On what grounds, why, do you hate Us!"

Liu Qi slowly raised his eyes, which held a trace of tears, his voice very faint: "Why? Is the answer not self-evident, Imperial Father."

An extremely faint tone, yet it made the Emperor feel a sliver of fear that almost made him want to retreat. But there was nowhere to retreat. As Liu Qi spoke, he stepped closer by one step, and said: "Because Imperial Father was wrong."

Another step closer. The answerer counter-questioned: "Because the one who was wrong is Imperial Father, not Empress Mother, not Elder Brother, not Maternal Uncle, yet they died. From beginning to end it was Imperial Father's orders. Why should I, on what grounds, not hate Imperial Father?"

An almost purely straight line of thought, nearly a condemnatory statement.

The Prayer Scripture still lay at hand. The spirit hall filled with relics seemed to transform into a public tribunal with this sentence. The judge was the Emperor's self-proclaimed most beloved son, the current Crown Prince who holds the most authority.

The Emperor straightened his upper body, like a coiled sick dragon. He lifted his skull in rage. Several strands of disordered gray hair, like dragon whiskers, trembled with his voice: "Where was We wrong?"

"The one who framed them was never Us. We saw evidence and impartially issued orders... As for the subsequent bloodbath suppression, it was because your mother privately opened the armory and let your elder brother kill his way out of Xian Tai Gong. Regardless of the reason, mobilizing troops to rebel was a fact! — We issued orders based on evidence and conduct. What wrong does We have?!"

Liu Qi stepped closer again, each word clear and fine as he enumerated:

"Mother sought audience with Imperial Father but could not obtain it, not knowing Imperial Father's life or death. To protect innocent Elder Brother, to protect the state, she abided by her agreement with Imperial Father to put the state first. What wrong did she have? — This wrong lies in Imperial Father avoiding and refusing to see her!"

"Elder Brother suffered someone's framing and entrapment. The edict transmitter wanted to put him to death. When cornered he thought of a change. He followed his father's teachings. What wrong did he have? — This wrong lies in Imperial Father clearly knowing Zhu Zhi and Guo Shi were at odds with the Crown Prince, yet still dispatching these two to transmit the edict!"

"Maternal Uncle saw disorder had arisen, yet still only risked death to escort Elder Brother to seek audience with Imperial Father. He knew Imperial Father was wary of the Ling clan. He was willing to sever an arm and die in retreat. Until death he did not mobilize troops on a large scale. He always abided by the oath sworn with Imperial Father to together see the world at peace. What wrong did he have?"

"They were without fault, and without exception guarded their promises until death. They never once deviated from the agreements sworn with Imperial Father. Imperial Father, that night there indeed was a rebellion..." Liu Qi's eyes were bloodshot, his voice steady: "The rebel... was the Son of Heaven!"

"Rebel son! Insolence!" The Emperor roared, hurriedly leaned and grabbed the medicine bowl by the bed, and violently hurled it at that youth: "Insolence!!"

The bowl, still holding a bit of medicine dregs, smashed against the side of Liu Qi's forehead, leaving a spot of blood, then fell and shattered at his feet.

Accompanied by the sound of the bowl shattering, the Emperor's pair of rage-wide tearful eyes also trembled. From eyes to torso and viscera, his whole person seemed as if cut and gashed by those shattered sharp fragments. His eyes bloodshot with tears, he looked at that youth who did not dodge in the slightest.

This child was most alert and bold. In childhood, if he sniffed out signs of punishment, he was always the one who ran fastest.

Yet now he did not dodge, as if he needed this pain to draw a clear line between enemy and self...

A moment of silence. The Emperor suddenly lost strength. Heavy tears rolled down, making him lower his skull. He could only still say with pale words: "You have no evidence to prove We were wrong. This is merely your conjecture. We at least had evidence back then, while you at this time have no evidence whatsoever..."

Without evidence one cannot convict, so one must question the heart.

"If Imperial Father truly has a clear conscience, why question me today." Liu Qi's voice once again returned to calm: "If Imperial Father feels himself innocent and without fault, why then think that Child Minister reopening the case and bringing back Yu'er is to coerce Imperial Father—"

"Because Imperial Father knows the answer. This answer is not only in Child Minister's heart, but also in the world's eyes, even in the eyes of those eunuchs and palace maids. Imperial Father sees it day after day, so it has become intolerable and unavoidable."

"Imperial Father's crime is deep and heavy. As for how to achieve even slight release, Imperial Father likely also has the answer." Liu Qi suddenly sneered a laugh, and said: "I am a rebel son, collecting a debt from Imperial Father, yet also repaying a debt — I act as a rebel son to help Imperial Father recognize this matter and stabilize the realm. That is still better than Imperial Father bearing sin for a thousand autumns and dying with eyes unclosed."

Words finished, Liu Qi silently turned around.

Again he reached the screen. From behind came that voice again, but it was a hoarse, ethereal question: "Since you are a rebel son, why not directly rebel against Us?"

The Emperor's asking this was because, amid his mental collapse and scattering, he thought of the dream Liu Cheng spoke of before death... This son plotted rebellion in the dream.

Conscripting troops to rebel would indeed better match such hatred. Having schemes, means, and a faction... Why this time go to such painstaking effort to enter the capital?

?? (|3【▓▓】Good night