Chapter 2: The Change in the Palace Walls

Weiyang Palace, Pepper Chamber Hall.

The Great Han's Empress Wei Zifu, though already middle-aged, bore the marks of time on her beauty that could overthrow a state, yet they only accentuated her dignified grace and maternal virtue for all under heaven.

Wei Zifu gently stroked a multicolored bead, then softly said to the palace maid beside her:

"Ju is again tinkering with these useless trinkets; if his father the emperor finds out, he'll scold him again."

The palace maid said, "Your Majesty, I think everything the Crown Prince sent is useful."

You know, in past years when autumn arrived, our Pepper Chamber Hall was freezing cold—droplets would almost turn to ice!

Since the Crown Prince sent this stove and honeycomb coal, it warmed up instantly; now you're still wearing light clothing.

Wei Zifu said kindly, "He's still somewhat filial."

The palace maid lightly laughed and nodded.

Bang!

A loud boom shattered their conversation; the hall doors were flung open, and a group of Embroidered Uniform Attendants rushed in.

"Seal everything shut—don't let even a mouse out."

The head Director of the Yellow Gate, Su Wen, loudly ordered the Embroidered Uniform Envoys to surround the Pepper Chamber Hall impermeably, then slowly approached the startled Empress Wei Zifu and palace maid.

The palace maid regained her composure and shouted, "Bold eunuch, daring to intrude upon the Empress's palace—what crime deserves this?"

Su Wen waved his hand coldly and said, "Kill them."

The attendants on either side drew their swords, about to stab, but Wei Zifu shouted, "Stop! You dare barge into the Pepper Chamber Hall with murderous intent—do you take me for mere decoration? Do you treat Han rites as mere decoration?"

Su Wen's face darkened as he coldly sneered, "Crown Prince Ju uses witchcraft to curse His Majesty, and the Wei clan, relying on military merit, runs rampant and does as it pleases!"

"As Empress and mother of the Crown Prince, your conduct is improper and your discipline lax—you deserve death."

"You claim Ju practices witchcraft? Impossible—Ju has always been the most filial; how could he curse His Majesty?"

Wei Zifu stared in shock at Su Wen, yet she recalled the recent actions of Emperor Wu of Han and his officials toward Liu Ju.

Clearly this was a premeditated frame‑up; her face turned ashen, but her greatest worry remained Liu Ju's safety.

The palace maid said in a low voice, "Su Wen, you actually slander the Crown Prince, offend the Wei clan and the Empress—aren't you afraid the Grand General and the General of the Valiant Cavalry will fly into a rage?"

Su Wen snorted, "Grand General and General of the Valiant Cavalry? Just old stories."

"Don't forget—though they still linger in the world, they long ago lost any real power, no different from commoners."

"It's only because His Majesty is merciful and pities those two lowly servants that He lets them drag out a dog's life, begging for pity."

Wei Zifu's face drained of color, her voice trembling: "Zhongqing and Ziming devoted their lives to the Great Han's war efforts, achieving glorious victories—how could a eunuch like you insult them?"

"Even His Majesty…… right, where is His Majesty? I must go see him."

Su Wen stepped in front of Wei Zifu and barked, "His Majesty? You have no qualification now to see the Son of Heaven; the Embroidered Uniform Envoys today also act under the Son of Heaven's orders."

Having spoken, Su Wen ordered the attendants to produce a length of white silk, toss it to Wei Zifu, and said, "By imperial decree, Wei Zifu's arrogance and lawlessness demand she take her own life to apologize to the world."

Wei Zifu collapsed to the ground, murmuring, "His Majesty… His Majesty actually…"

Su Wen waved his hand and said, "Woman of the Wei clan, I never imagined you'd come to this—stop pretending, hurry on your way."

Wei Zifu clutched the white silk, slowly rose, and wept:

"Back then, when Liuche wanted a son, I bore him a benevolent, righteous, filial Crown Prince;"

"When Liuche wanted an Empress who would be a mother to the world, I became gentle, virtuous, humble, and yielding;"

"When Liuche sought to expand the realm, I gave him two invincible Great Han generals."

"And now, is His Majesty truly this heartless?"

The palace maid lunged to Wei Zifu's side and cried, "Your Majesty, no!"

Su Wen impatiently said, "Take her away."

Bang bang bang!

Outside, a sudden boom echoed; no one answered Su Wen's voice any longer. He jerked around, terrified, gazing toward the hall's exterior.

Only a line of Black Armor Guards stood on either side of the hall, still holding smoking weapons, solemn and stern, as Liu Ju and Zhang Tang strode forward with dragon‑like vigor and tiger‑like steps.

Su Wen looked at the fallen Embroidered Uniform Envoys, his voice trembling: "Crown Prince Ju, you… you weren't captured?"

"Tie him up for my palace; we'll deal with him later."

Liu Ju kicked Su Wen aside and strode into the hall.

"Mother!"

Hearing Liu Ju's voice, Wei Zifu snapped out of her grief, seized him, and asked anxiously:

"Ju, are you all right? Did they hurt you?"

Even though she had just faced the sorrow of Liuche's heartlessness and the fear of death, Wei Zifu's foremost concern remained Liu Ju, not herself.

Liu Ju felt moved; if one asked who in history exemplifies a woman's virtue and goodness, it would surely be Wei Zifu.

He gently helped Wei Zifu to her feet and solemnly said, "Mother, the so‑called witchcraft is merely a plot by petty villains to drive a wedge between me and my father, born of envy toward the Wei clan."

"That sorcery is nothing but nonsense; only fools would believe it."

Wei Zifu, though gentle and virtuous, was no fool; she had long known that the alleged witchcraft was merely an excuse to eliminate dissenters.

She nodded and said, "Ju, I believe you—only your father…"

Liu Ju's heart sank; at this moment he could not let the Empress Dowager hear the news of Emperor Wu's demise, or it would truly be the sky falling.

Wei Zifu remained steadfast in her loyalty to Emperor Wu, yet ironically, in her previous life she had clearly not committed suicide out of fear of guilt, but was forced to death.

Fortunately, he had earlier arranged for guards to watch the Pepper Chamber Hall without lapse; otherwise the consequences would be unthinkable.

He hurriedly ordered the palace maid to support Wei Zifu to rest inside the hall; he had much to attend to and could allow no delay.

Ganquan Palace, side hall.

The Emperor Wu of Han, Liuche, who ought to have died, was now vigorous, sitting with Dongfang Shuo and Dong Zhongshu beside a tall erected stove, warming themselves by the fire.

Dongfang Shuo clicked his tongue in amazement and said, "Your Majesty, you really shouldn't say—since we got this stove, my aides' backs don't ache, their legs don't hurt, and the concubines at home all praise me for having more vigor."

Dong Zhongshu stroked his flower-white beard and nodded, saying: "Although the Crown Prince is somewhat unlearned, this thing he's come up with is rather interesting."

Liuche had been wearing an expression of enjoyment, but he put on a stern face and said: "Just petty tricks, not worth mentioning."

He then looked at Dongfang Shuo and said: "Sir Manqian, has the news of my demise already spread throughout Ever Peace City?"

Dongfang Shuo knew Liuche had ulterior motives, and made a show of listening respectfully.

Liuche then wondered aloud: "By rights, someone should have acted by now; Jiang Chong and Su Wen set out to deliver the message at daybreak, yet by noon no word has returned—I always feel something is off."

Dongfang Shuo repeatedly rubbed his hands over the fire to warm them, still wearing an expression of enjoyment, and said calmly:

"Your Majesty, don't rush; let the news fly a bit longer."

Dong Zhongshu suddenly rose to his feet, speaking with fervor: "Your Majesty, forgive my frankness, as the Son of Heaven you govern the people by the Mandate of Heaven."

"Yet you now stage a fake death to test your subjects' reactions—this is contrary to ritual and loses the foundation of the state!"

Dongfang Shuo smiled without speaking; the old charlatan was at it again, blabbering.

Liuche laughed heartily and said: "With the Tiger Talisman in hand, the North and South Armies obey like fingers, Right Fufeng stands ready at any moment, and the Embroidered Cloth Envoys are everywhere."

"Every blade of grass and tree in the realm lies within my grasp; I am the ritual, I am the foundation of the state."

Dong Zhongshu was abruptly cut off mid-speech; Dongfang Shuo looked at the fervent Han emperor and, for a moment, didn't know how to respond, and the hall fell into a brief silence.

"Your Majesty, it's terrible, something major has happened!"

Moments later, an Embroidered Cloth Envoy drenched in blood ran into the hall.

Liuche frowned tightly and barked: "What's the meaning of this panic? Speak, what happened?"

The Embroidered Cloth Envoy knelt on the ground, terrified, and said:

"Your Majesty, please forgive me, Director Zhang was ordered to inform the Crown Prince of your demise, but the Crown Prince killed him on the spot, and Su Wen, the Yellow Gate attendant guarding the Empress's Pepper Chamber Hall, was also detained."

"What?"

Liuche no longer retained his former confidence and composure; even Dongfang Shuo and Dong Zhongshu rose to their feet in shock.

"Unfilial son!"

Han Wudi's face flushed red as he paced back and forth, continually roaring.

Dongfang Shuo raised his eyebrows slightly and immediately sensed that something was amiss.

But seeing Liuche in the throes of fury, he knew advice would be useless now, and that he himself might be implicated, so he respectfully stood aside and remained silent.

Dong Zhongshu, heedless of their reactions, beat his chest and stamped his feet, saying: "I said what I said—this joke has gone too far!"

Liuche paced in the hall for a moment, calmed down, and said:

"No, by rights, if I had died, the Crown Prince would naturally succeed; although he is unlearned, he wouldn't be so rash as to kill envoys."

"There must be some reason behind this!"

The Embroidered Cloth Envoy hesitated and said: "Director Jiang discovered that the Crown Prince was practicing yin-yang sorcery in his mansion to curse Your Majesty; the plot was exposed, and he panicked……"

"Unfilial son, he shall be put to death."

Liuche flew into a rage again and shouted: "Does he so eagerly await my death so he can become emperor?"

"This position—could I deny it to him even after a hundred years?"

Dong Zhongshu felt his worldview shattering, and he lamented sadly: "Your Majesty, I have long advised you not to alienate the Crown Prince; now he has abandoned propriety, and the state will cease to be a state!"

Dongfang Shuo stroked his beard, his eyes flickering as he pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked the Embroidered Cloth Envoy:

"What about Grand Master of Ceremonies Liu Qu Rong—any movement there?"

The Embroidered Cloth Envoy said carefully: "General Liu has surrounded Sweet Spring Palace with the Expectation Gate troops, sealing off the news of Your Majesty's demise."

He glanced at Liuche's grim face and added: "Intelligence reports say King Qi is presiding over the situation."

The hall fell into a dreadful silence once more; Dong Zhongshu sank into grief, unable to pull himself out, while Dongfang Shuo gazed heavenward.

"This is utterly absurd!"

"Hmph, they're all my good sons!"

Liuche's gaze turned grim as he swept his eyes around, then he suddenly sneered:

"How interesting, how interesting—since I began my personal rule, this is the first time I've encountered such absurdity."

"Before, the Wei relatives grew too powerful to rein in; now King Qi plots mischief—could the affairs of the Dou clan and the King of Huainan be repeating themselves?"

Liuche suddenly became excited.

The more complicated the situation, the more exhilarated he became.

In the first year of Yuanfeng he personally led a campaign, returned victorious, and performed the Feng and Shan sacrifices on Mount Tai to glorify his achievements.

Now the barbarians submit and the four seas are tranquil; he once thought that seeking immortality through Daoist quests, and that the beautiful women of the inner court—plump and slender—would be his lifelong desire.

He never expected that a feigned death would cause sudden turmoil.

"Death is good, death is good!"

Liuche felt the fighting spirit buried in his bones awakened once again.

To rise to meet difficulty, turn the tide against the wind, a drama of endless ups and downs—that is his life.

Liuche's heroic spirit arose, and he said in a low voice to Dongfang Shuo: "My remains, my corpse, won't be discovered, will they?"

Dongfang Shuo replied: "Your Majesty, rest assured—you and I are cut from the same mold."

Liuche nodded in satisfaction.

"My two beloved ministers, we can't linger in Sweet Spring Palace; let's change locales—I want to contend with these treacherous ministers and sons!"

Liuche rose to his full height and led the way toward the rear hidden passage.

"There's a good show to watch!"

Dongfang Shuo pulled the grief-stricken Dong Zhongshu along and hurried to keep pace with Liuche.