Chapter 87: Stars' Cold Eye

Liu Guozong's Spring Diary, Sixth,

"Stars' Cold Eye"

Tonight there is no moonlight; I feel great. Because in the city, having moonlight or not is the same. In that not-so-blue sky, dozens of stars' eyes flicker, cold eyes. In the cold eyes of the stars, I had a strange dream——

The Southern Tang's Li Houzhu was leaning alone on the railing inside the Hall of Virtuous Worthies bestowed upon him by Emperor Taizong of Song, sighing, "The blossoms have fallen, spring red, too hurried." I foolishly laughed at that "Child Emperor": "Spring hasn't even begun; where do the blossoms come from?"

I looked again closely, only to see inside Li Houzhu's Hall of Virtuous Worthies: the moonlight was like gauze, tree shadows mottled. Bare wutong branches stretched crisscross, filling the quiet courtyard.

At that moment, I only heard Li Houzhu muttering to himself——

Silently ascending the western tower alone, the moon like a hook. The lonely wutong deep courtyard locks in clear autumn.

It cannot be cut, yet still tangled; it is the sorrow of separation, a unique flavor in the heart.

Li Houzhu gazed at the bright moon above, then looked at the newly returned from Taizong's place, disheveled and tear‑streaked Xiao Zhouhou, who again murmured a lyric……

"You shameless thing, you've lost the fine Tang realm, and you still have the leisure to compose poems and lyrics?" I said hatefully. "Don't think wildly; just stay quietly in the Hall of Virtuous Worthies. Fatten up, and they can naturally eat you."

Just as I was mocking that clueless "Child Emperor", I saw a spy hiding on the wall of the Hall of Virtuous Worthies running to report to Emperor Taizong: "Your Majesty, that Li Yu who was supposedly sleeping soundly on your couch is not actually sleeping; he is composing poems and lyrics, chewing maggets and plotting rebellion."

Upon hearing that Li Yu intended to rebel, Emperor Taizong ordered someone to bring him a cup of "fine wine" to drink, to dispel his "how much sorrow".

Upon hearing that Emperor Taizong had sent someone to bring wine, Li Yu was overjoyed and drained the cup in one gulp. Who knew that as soon as the wine entered his belly, Li Yu's innards burned, his body convulsed, and he collapsed dead.

As it turned out, the wine Emperor Taizong bestowed upon Li Yu was poison.

The sight of Li Yu's gruesome death startled me awake from the nightmare.

A lion‑like fierce heart....

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