On the fourteenth day of the sixth month in the fifth year of Jingyu, the emperor suddenly passed away.
He left behind no heir and no final decree. The ministers were abruptly without a ruler, yet a state could not remain without a sovereign even for a single day. Though nothing had been formally ratified, it was already an open secret in both court and common circles that Prince Zhao—the one who had initiated this coup, was effectively regarded as issuing the highest commands.
The bloody conflict along the Yangtze River outside Jinling did not last long. Zheng Xiao, together with his children, took control of the Huaiyang garrison; Li Qi led the Tiger Division alongside the capital garrison to escort Zhang Yan and Cheng Wen back into the city; while Xie Jun brought the Xuanshi to the outskirts to meet Lu Shuning, Yin Chou, and the others to guard against any further upheaval.
Lu Lingcong ordered that Zhang Yan be brought directly to Shenlong Hall.
In the past few days, Taichu Palace had been brought under control by Cui Jishi and the Yulin Guards. All eunuchs and palace attendants in the main hall had long since been confined under guard. When the bronze doors were pushed open, a few faint strands of sunlight slipped through the thick, overcast clouds, sparingly scattering across the floor and falling at Zhang Yan’s feet.
He did not kneel, nor did Lu Lingcong and Xie Jing force him to.
There were only three people in the vast, empty hall, making them appear distant and desolate from one another. Zhang Yan stood before the jade steps beneath the dragon throne with his back to Xie Jing, while Lu Lingcong stood between them with a blade across his waist and his hand resting perpetually on the scabbard.
Xie Jing looked up at the beams carved with dragons and painted with phoenixes, saying softly, “When I entered the palace for the imperial examination at sixteen, it was here that I met you for the first time. Teacher, you once said I had ‘the face of a scholar and the bearing of a general’. At that time, I was ignorant of the vastness of heaven and earth; I did not feel the trepidation of receiving unmerited praise but only felt that I was a bright pearl and that my teacher happened to have the discerning eye.”
Zhang Yan listened with complete indifference. Xie Jing asked, “Teacher, do you not remember?”
After a long silence, Zhang Yan only said, “It is you who does not remember.”
“The first time you met me was clearly in the first month of the twelfth year of Jianning. It is you who does not remember.”
Hearing this date, both Xie Jing and Lu Lingcong were stunned.
Zhang Yan turned back from below the steps, staring directly at Xie Jing against the light. “On the fifteenth day of the first month of the twelfth year of Jianning, you chanced upon a woman near the residence of the Xiao clan of Lanling. Her movements were restricted, so you delivered a family letter for her.”
Xie Jing could not see his face clearly. Past events rose and fell in his mind, flowing back through the distant years until they stood vividly before his eyes. Zhang Yan was not speaking nonsense. That year, he had come to Jinling to celebrate the New Year; aside from entering the West Palace to pay his respects to the Wu clan and meeting Lu Lingcong, such an incident had indeed occurred during the Lantern Festival.
Twenty years later, Xie Jing could only recall scattered fragments. That woman had begged the servants of the Xiao’s Mansion to help her send a letter, but the servants were firm, seemingly forbidden from allowing any papers or letters to leave the Xiao’s Mansion. The woman’s sorrowful pleading was particularly jarring amidst the festive cheers of the holiday.
Passing by and witnessing this, he had naturally stepped forward and said, “Madam, do not worry. I have a photographic memory. Simply read the letter to me once and tell me the recipient; I can recite it to them word for word without missing a single character.”
Seeing his extraordinary attire and knowing they could not afford to offend him, the servants of the Xiao’s Mansion could only reluctantly agree. The woman showed him the contents of the letter, pointed out the location, and thanked him a thousand times over while urging him that it must be delivered.
Xie Jing could no longer remember what followed, but it was nothing more than going to the location the woman had provided, completing the favor, and leaving it at that. For him, it was a trivial matter, a gesture so small that he had never once taken it to heart.
Seeing him fall into a silent, agonizing search of his memories, Zhang Yan changed the subject: “That boy Lu Lingzhang is ignorant of the full story behind the armaments case of those years. I assume you two, however, are well aware of it, right?”
Xie Jing was about to nod instinctively when Lu Lingcong suddenly spoke, “Not entirely.”
He fixed his gaze steadily on Zhang Yan’s eyes. “We do not know the final fate of the family members of the former Eastern Palace officials—that is, the kin of you and your former colleagues.”
Zhang Yan met his gaze, and in that instant, a genuine, visceral hatred flickered in his eyes. “Your surname is Lu, and you were raised by the Imperial Family. Can you not guess?”
He said coldly, “When the armaments case failed and Empress Dowager Xiao was imprisoned, the Xiao clan of Lanling knew the tide had turned. To avenge themselves against the former Eastern Palace officials for turning against them and defecting to the late Emperor at the last moment, they intended to take our kin, who had been held hostage in the Xiao’s Mansion for over a decade, out of the city to be slaughtered.”
“On the road out of the capital, the siblings Ding Yu and Ding Jian found an opportunity to escape and rescued Zhong Zhao along the way. The three of them made their way back to the city to inform us of the intention of the Xiao clean of Lanling. Thus, we went to the late Emperor, hoping he would honor his original promise and send troops to rescue those elderly, women, and children.”
He scrutinized Lu Lingcong. “I am sure Prince Zhao knows your late father’s nature better than anyone. He originally harbored the intent to keep our kin as hostages to continue controlling us and to counter the great clans. Combined with the instigation of the Wang and Cui clans for their own selfish interests—he remained indifferent. He kept the doors of this Shenlong Hall tightly shut, refusing to see us even once.”
“Finally,” he paused, “the Xiao clan of Lanling took our kin to a warehouse in the west of the city and locked them away for seven full days.”
“By the time we finally found them, there was nothing left but over a hundred skeletons of those who had starved to death.”
Despite having premonition, Lu Lingcong and Xie Jing still involuntarily stiffened, their throats feeling constricted.
“During the late period of Empress Dowager Xiao’s reign, she had actually detected the late Emperor’s hidden motives and began to plot. In the past, whenever the year drew to a close, the Xiao estate would allow us to meet with our kin. However, to prevent internal matters from leaking, the Xiao’s Mansion no longer permitted any hostages to enter or leave during the New Year of the twelfth year of Jianning, let alone deliver letters.”
Zhang Yan’s tone was indifferent as if he were recounting a matter that had nothing to do with him: “On the night of the Lantern Festival that year, the message you recited to me after knocking on the doors of the Zhang’s Mansion was the final family letter my late wife ever sent me.”
Xie Jing stood frozen on the spot. He remembered the line among the names in Empress Dowager Xiao’s personal effects: “Palace Administrator Zhang Yan, wife Lady Deng.” He remembered how every time he gathered with his peers at the Grand Tutor’s Mansion, Zhang Yan would always be the one to see them out alone at the end of the banquet, watching them depart one by one. He remembered the stories senior officials had always shared that the Grand Tutor had lived as a widower for many years and that the depth of his mourning for his late wife was enough to move anyone who heard of it to tears.
In that instant, Xie Jing suddenly understood completely why Zhang Yan had asked him that day whether Lu Lingcong “could not save” the Xie family or “did not want to save” the Xie family.
Zhang Yan had experienced a personal trauma far too agonizing; he knew too well the cold indifference and opportunism inherent in the imperial family, and thus, he could not place even a shred of trust in the years of so-called “love” between Xie Jing and Lu Lingcong.
“After our relatives died, most of the former Eastern Palace officials lost their resolve; some immediately resigned from office and returned to their hometowns. We were all born in the countryside; back when we were students suffering through years of poverty and hardship, we could not even afford a single proper meal. What right did we have to demand justice from the late Emperor?”
“There were many who resisted fiercely. He Gao lost his daughter, Xu Yi and Ding Yuan lost their wives, Zhong Rui lost his mother… but resistance was useless. In the eyes of the late Emperor and the great clans, they were no different from ants. Consequently, they were demoted and scattered across thousands of miles. Cheng Wen and I could not endure this humiliation, so we sought out our exiled former colleagues and began moving in secret, plotting to one day wipe away this shame and hatred.”
“I feigned submission to the late Emperor, following his every command and mediating between the Wang and Cui clans on his behalf. Cheng Wen intentionally committed an offense to get himself dismissed; a few years later, when the Prefect of Huaiyang retired, I petitioned the late Emperor to let him fill that vacancy.”
“Ding Yuan and Zhong Rui both died on the road to exile, so I could only take in those three youths. I sent Ding Yu to the Wu family’s Mount Tang Manor to keep watch on news from Mingluan Hall and Prince Zhao; I placed Ding Jian under the command of his father’s former subordinates in the Northern Camp, where he could temper himself in military life; as for Zhong Zhao, he voluntarily castrated himself and entered Taichu Palace. Relying on his quick wit, he soon won the late Emperor’s deep trust.”
At this point, Zhang Yan shot a mocking look at Lu Lingcong, “He even gained Prince Zhao’s trust.”
Hearing these words, Lu Lingcong instantly recalled the assassination attempt he and Xie Jing experienced for the first time at Mount Tang in the seventh year of Zhenyou.
The cause of that incident was his casual mention to the late emperor that he wished to go hunting; and at that time, there were only two eunuchs present before the emperor, one of whom was Zhong Zhao.
Back then, Lu Lingcong had entrusted Zhong Zhao to investigate the background of the other eunuch. The result Zhong Zhao returned to him was that this person had leaked the information to a “master” in the palace; this “master” then contacted Xu Yi and the others to set up a hidden trap to assassinate Prince Zhao.
Thinking back now—that so-called “master” who had remained hidden in the palace, elusive as a divine dragon, was none other than Zhong Zhao himself. In this play, from start to finish, Zhong Zhao was simply a thief crying “thief” to confuse him and lower his guard!
Lu Lingcong thought to himself that he had been truly foolish. He had always assumed this “master” with far-reaching influence must have held a high position like the late emperor or empress dowager, completely ignoring who in the Taichu Palace was most numerous, most inconspicuous, most free to come and go without arousing suspicion, and most capable of hearing and seeing everything in all directions!
It was those thousands of eunuchs and palace maids at the very bottom, those not even regarded as human, who truly knew all and anticipated everything.
“So,” fatigue made Lu Lingcong’s voice somewhat raspy, “you joined forces with Zhong Zhao, the Ding siblings, and the others to separately plan the two assassination attempts against me and Qing’er.”
Zhang Yan gave a cold snort. “Just a few days after Xie Zhiwu came first in the three successive imperial examinations, the late Emperor summoned me to the palace. He asked me privately if granting a marriage between the new top scholar and Prince Zhao would kill two birds with one stone by drawing both Prince Zhao’s Mansion and the Xie clan of Chen Commandery into the game.”
He said to Lu Lingcong in a frigid voice, “If you were killed, the late Emperor would naturally have no further need for such a marriage. If Lu Shuqing were killed, first, the ‘auspicious omen’ would be eliminated, making the late Emperor less inclined to pass the throne to Prince Zhao’s Mansion’s line; second, with you and your spouse driven apart by the loss of a child, it would be difficult for the two of you to go on living together.”
“Prince Zhao, do you not always pride yourself on being so deep and sincere in your affections?” Zhang Yan mocked. “Let me tell you plainly: without you, and without Lu Shuqing, your ‘beloved wife’ would not have been reduced to this state today, much less have suffered these fifteen years for nothing!”
A heavy silence filled the hall. Neither Lu Lingcong nor Xie Jing knew how to respond to this most sensitive topic that lay between them.
After a long while, Lu Lingcong finally asked, “After the Ding siblings failed to abduct Qing’er and Ding Yu committed suicide, did Ding Jian leave the capital?”
“I sent him to the Northern Desert, and we exchanged news through letters thereafter, what you call,” Zhang Yan paused, “colluding with the enemy and committing treason.”
“The late Emperor doted on Lu Shuqing and intended for Prince Zhao to succeed him; he even had Zhong Zhao privately deliver the Lantian jade Imperial Seal, the symbol of authority, to your mansion. After that, I wrote a letter to He Gao and borrowed three hundred catties of Lantian jade from him. When the year-end gifts were being exchanged, I sent them into Wuyi Lane under the name of the Prefect of Yongzhou.”
“You are well aware of what happened afterward. In his later years, the late Emperor wanted to repeat his old tricks and sweep away the Wang family, so I provided him with a pretext. In the fifteenth year of Zhenyou, I anonymously revealed the method of the ‘Bone-stripping String’ to Wang Chu. Sure enough, it wasn’t long before Zhong Zhao intercepted the conspiracy between Wang Chu and the Empress Dowager to use it to kill the late Emperor.”
“The late Emperor’s original calculation was to first use the Wang family to eliminate the Xie family, then personally eliminate the Wang family. Little did he expect that before he could even strike the Wang family, he would be killed by Zhong Zhao and me.” Zhang Yan gave a cold smile. “Imperial Physician Qin said it was a blunt instrument, that is correct. We used the candlestick from the bedchamber.”
It was arguably the most gratifying day in the ten years since he had lost his wife. He had watched coldly as the late emperor attempted to play the fool to catch the wise, believing himself the clever mantis stalking the cicada, unaware that he was already the cicada on someone else’s glue-tipped pole.
That night, the late emperor had summoned him and Zhong Zhao into the forbidden quarters, ordering them to deploy the Yulin Guards to strike against the Wang family. However, all that arrived were completely foreign, no longer submissive rebels and treacherous servants. They did not respond to a single one of his curses, nor did they allow him to utter a single cry for help. Right here—in this very place, Shenlong Hall—they used a candlestick to smash his throat blow by blow.
“Then, I used the ‘Flawless Script’ to write a note to reveal the location where the late Emperor had hidden the post-humous edict to the Prime Minister’s Mansion. Wang Chu had no intention of investigating exactly who sent him that message; he and the Empress Dowager were too busy switching the original with a fake and forging an edict so they could seize total power as soon as possible.”
“Zhong Zhao disappeared that very night. I knew from the start it was impossible for him to have left on his own—back then, we swore an oath to slaughter every member of the Imperial family. With only the late Emperor dead, how could he possibly be willing to stop of his own accord?”
“Later, Cheng Wen sent me a message saying that the scouts he sent to Huaibei had spotted Zhong Zhao within the ranks of the Tiger Division. Only then did I realize that it was you who had taken him away.”
Lu Lingcong looked at Zhang Yan with a complex expression, “So, the ones who silenced Zhong Zhao were you and Cheng Wen?”
Zhang Yan said softly as if with regret, “He was a talent capable of great use, possessing a resilient will. It is a pity he fell into your hands; we could not afford to risk even the slightest chance of our grand plan being leaked.”
Lu Lingcong could not help but sigh with deep emotion. “Zhong Zhao said nothing. Regarding your schemes, who your accomplices were, or who you all were—he did not utter a single word before he died.”
The sun gradually sank in the west, stretching the shadows into long, narrow shapes. Shenlong Hall grew increasingly dim; the silhouette of the caisson ceiling became blurred before vanishing into the darkness as if countless deities were watching with open eyes, witnessing scene after scene of debt and retribution.
“I know that Teacher killed the late Emperor, killed Lu Zifeng, killed Lingzhang and Zhenzhen, and killed my children because you bore an irreconcilable blood feud against the Lu clan and because you wanted me to sever myself completely from the Imperial family, leaving no ties behind.”
Xie Jing spoke blankly as if asking himself, “But my maternal clan, the Xie clan of Chen Commandery, has always been cautious and avoided the spotlight. By using the Lantian jade to frame the Xie family, is the blood on your hands not also that of the innocent?”
Zhang Yan merely let out a desolate laugh. “Xie Zhiwu, I thought that after staying in Yongzhou for three years, you would have seen something different. For you to ask such a question now shows that you have truly made no progress at all!”
He walked toward Xie Jing step by step. “During the Jianning and Zhenyou eras, the Xie clan of Chen Commandery was the only great clan in the court that could stand as a third power alongside the Wang clan of Langya and the Cui clan of Qinghe to compete and balance them. Coupled with the local Jiangnan cliques led by your sister-in-law’s maiden family, the Yao clan of Wuxing; if they had been willing to speak up just a little more, it would never have resulted in a situation where one side held absolute power and acted with such wanton disregard.”
“But your grandfather, your father, your uncles, your elder brother; all the members of the Xie family who served in officialdom, at every moment when they should have stepped forward, chose instead to withdraw from danger and protect themselves, without a single exception. Your grandfather was Left Prime Minister then; seeing the rift between the Empress Dowager and the late Emperor deepen, he cast aside his seal and stood by, taking you back to retire in your hometown. Your father served as Censor-in-Chief, your elder brother as Right Remonstrator; both remonstrance officials, yet they merely ‘spoke cautiously and acted prudently,’ never fulfilling their duty to admonish the throne.”
Xie Jing’s mind remained in a state of chaos for a long while. The most common evaluations he had ever heard regarding three generations of his family’s service were the words “upright” and “prudent.” Because the Xie family maintained an upright character, they were unwilling to be dragged into the petty, scurrying factional struggles or to debate with clowns and sycophants. Because Xie Yi and Xie Yan were prudent in their official duties, they were careful not to leave any pretext or handle for others to use against them; thus, they spoke little and interfered little, fearing a single wrong step.
But Zhang Yan was right. They were supposed to be remonstrating with officials.
“Do you think the tragedy that befell the families of my peers happened in silence? No! They knew, they all knew, but not a single person dared to say a word! Why are those over one hundred living souls gone? It is because of their dereliction of duty, because of their avoidance of trouble, and because of their ‘caution’ and ‘lack of edge’! If the Emperor is the primary criminal, then every great clan and noble family under heaven is an accomplice!”
Zhang Yan looked around the bright and spacious court hall. He had stood here through forty cycles of spring and autumn while clutching his ceremonial tablet and rising before dawn and retiring late, hating the Son of Heaven of every reign while serving as minister under each one.
“And you, Zhiwu; I originally thought you were different from them.”
He was standing almost face-to-face with Xie Jing. Lu Lingcong tried to step in to block him but was gently brushed aside by Xie Jing.
“It was not until I heard you personally describe how you planned the ‘purge of the sovereign’s surroundings’ that I realized the Great Frost of last year, the fields covered in corpses, the hardship of the people, their suffering, their resentment, and their helplessness; it turns out all of it was merely a tool for you to avenge and clear the name of the Xie clan of Chen Commandery.”
Xie Jing met his gaze and did not deny it.
“Teacher… the sages judge by deeds, not by intent. Had Lingzhang not perished, or had it been Lu Zifeng or even Qing’er, no matter which of them held power, they would have had to provide relief for their people; they would have been compelled to win over the hearts of the masses. It is simply a case of different paths leading to the same end. Every grievance has its source, and every debt has its debtor. The common people will always find for themselves the one they ought to hate, and that person will not be me.”
Zhang Yan merely burst into loud laughter, “Every grievance has its source, and every debt has its debtor! Only those in high positions, the beneficiaries, have the luxury to say such words! The commoners, who are like mere weeds, have no right to speak of such things. When a calamity from heaven falls upon a person’s head, it does not distinguish between those with grievances and those without, or those with feuds and those without!”
“Since the founding of Great Qi and the establishment of the imperial examinations, scholars have been selected every three years; sometimes dozens, sometimes no more than a mere handful! But how many people are there in total within the borders of Qi? Looking at the officialdom of today, how many are like you, born of the great clans, who, even if you had failed the exams, would have a thousand or ten thousand ways through recommendation or hereditary privilege to enter the civil service? And how many are like my former colleagues in the Eastern Palace, who studied with such grueling intensity that their hair and beards turned white before they finally crossed the threshold of the ninth rank?”
“The ‘action’ of the sages of three generations was to lead with virtue and regulate with ritual; their ‘non-action’ was to follow the heavens and the seasons, allowing the people to rest. I ask you: what is the ‘action’ and ‘non-action’ of your kind? ‘Action’ is the Wang clan of Langya seizing farmland and abusing public office for private gain; ‘non-action’ is your Xie clan of Chen Commandery, fearing trouble and neglecting its duty, doing nothing but occupying positions without fulfilling their responsibilities! It has come to this: the strong run rampant, the weak are bullied, the rich grow richer, and the poor grow poorer. The scions of noble houses tread upon high positions, while the talented and heroic sink to the lowest ranks!”
“Zhiwu ah, Zhiwu,” Zhang Yan called to him with a deep sigh. “Did your grandfather truly intend for you to spend your whole life walking toward the ‘nothing’ of accomplishing nothing by giving you the courtesy name ‘Zhiwu’?”
The impact of this final sentence left Xie Jing’s ears ringing, rendered utterly speechless. Zhang Yan suddenly grabbed him by both elbows and said urgently, “I have one question for you, and you must answer me truthfully!”
He suddenly jerked Xie Jing toward the front of the hall before lifting a hand to point at the dragon throne. “You are only one step away from that throne now. If you wish, this entire realm is within your grasp. Let me be frank: without you, neither Lu Zifeng nor Lu Shuqing will find that throne easy to secure. Do you have the sheer audacity to replace Lu Zifeng? Do you have the resolve to change your son’s surname, to change the very surname of this empire?”
Xie Jing’s eyes widened as he stared at the imperial seat atop the high platform and the square, majestic golden screen behind it. There was only a long, heavy silence.
Zhang Yan let out a cold sneer. “I truly did not misjudge you back then. You have the face of a scholar and the bearing of a general, but you lack, and only lack, the art of kingship. To the end of your days, you will be nothing more than a subordinate, a minister, a princess consort and that is your limit!”
Xie Jing remained motionless for a long time. Finally, he broke free from Zhang Yan’s grip, stepped back two paces, and gave him a deep, formal bow.
“I am ashamed to have disappointed with your high expectations, Teacher. I do not possess that lone courage, nor that decisive resolve. But there is one thing you said that is not entirely true, Teacher.”
His voice was not loud, yet it was firm and resolute. “Without me, Lu Zifeng cannot sit securely on this dragon throne. But even if I truly changed the empire’s surname to Xie, without Lu Zifeng, I likewise could not sit securely on this throne.”
Zhang Yan gave a sharp, mocking laugh under his breath, it was unclear if it was the laugh of extreme rage or the frustration of seeing “timber fail to become steel.” He simply shook his head. “Then we shall see, Zhiwu. The Lu clan’s blood runs cold. It has been more than a decade; if you remain this naive, he will destroy you until not even fragments of your bones are left.”
He reached out and slowly helped Xie Jing back to his feet, restoring them to a position where they met each other’s gaze. In an instant, his expression, tone, and demeanor settled once more into that of the Grand Tutor, calm as a steady bell, without the slightest trace of disarray.
“In this life, I have fulfilled the duties of my job, repaid kindness with kindness, and answered hatred with revenge. Regardless of whether my actions met with success or failure, I have never felt the slightest shred of regret or shame in my heart.”
Xie Jing looked at him intently. “Teacher, things have come to this, I have nothing left to say. I only wish to ask one question on behalf of Qing’er. His paternal and maternal grandfathers died on the same day. In the three years since then, you personally guided him, stayed by his side at all times, and taught him everything you knew. In his heart, his respect and affection for you are no less than for his own blood-related elders.”
“The kindness, regard, and expectations you showed him, Teacher,” Xie Jing’s voice trembled faintly, “were any of them even the slightest bit genuine?”
Zhang Yan fixed his gaze forward for a long time. In the end, he did not answer with a single word.
