Pei Lanqing sat alone deep within the palace. Ever since Xiao Linye led his troops into the imperial city, the palace maids and eunuchs had scattered in terror, fleeing in all directions.
Only he remained, sitting quietly by the window, staring blankly outside as if waiting for someone to arrive.
When Xiao Linye pushed open the vermilion gates of Phoenix Prosperity Palace, this was the scene that greeted him. Pei Lanqing, dressed in white robes, leaned against the window, his raven hair cascading down, only accentuating the gauntness of his face and the lingering pallor in his eyes.
For a moment, Xiao Linye was lost in a daze, as if reliving countless memories of Pei Lanqing waiting for him. He stepped forward, wanting to get closer, to see his Grand Tutor.
But Pei Lanqing’s lifeless gaze and the unmistakable bulge of his abdomen shattered Xiao Linye’s illusion.
“Why?” Xiao Linye asked hoarsely, his voice like that of a wounded beast. “Grand Tutor, why did you do this to me?”
Hearing his words, Pei Lanqing suddenly began to cough uncontrollably, his frail body collapsing weakly to the ground. “Now that things have come to this, there’s no point in arguing anymore… Ye’er, just think I did it for myself.”
Clutching his stomach, Pei Lanqing avoided Xiao Linye’s gaze and said in a trembling voice, “I was indeed the one who gave you the poisoned wine that day. Now, I leave myself to your mercy.”
“To my mercy?” This icy response ignited boundless hatred and fury in Xiao Linye’s heart. He had considered that the Grand Tutor might have been forced into this, that there might be hidden circumstances. If Pei Lanqing had simply said he had no choice—even the most clumsy lie—Xiao Linye would have desperately clung to it.
But instead, he received this cold, heartless declaration: *I leave myself to your mercy.*
Xiao Linye seized Pei Lanqing’s slender wrist, forcing him to meet his gaze. His eyes burned crimson, as if all his tears had dried up. “Grand Tutor,” he demanded, “tell me—were all these years nothing but my own wishful thinking?”
Pei Lanqing’s frail body could barely support itself, as light as a withered leaf. Where Xiao Linye couldn’t see, his fingernails dug deeply into his palm, piercing the skin and drawing blood. Yet the physical pain was nothing compared to the agony in his heart.
Still, he spoke the most merciless words: “Ye’er, I am your Grand Tutor. Naturally, I still hold the affection of a teacher for you. But anything beyond that… you’ve simply imagined it.”
“Your actions before the campaign were so sudden. I simply… couldn’t avoid it.”
Each word pierced Xiao Linye’s heart like a blade, leaving it bleeding profusely. He felt that even the most grievous wounds he had suffered on the battlefield paled in comparison to this pain.
He forced out a few words through his throat: “What about him? What about Xiao Dexuan?”
Pei Lanqing lowered his gaze, his voice soft and utterly indifferent as he replied, “There was no affection between us. I only submitted to him because he was the new emperor, for the sake of my career, and for the sake of the Pei Clan’s status.”
Xiao Linye stared at the man before him in disbelief. He couldn’t fathom that the Grand Tutor he had known for so many years, the Grand Tutor who had always seemed as pure and ethereal as an orchid in a secluded valley, could utter such words.
He couldn’t tell if he was feeling anger, hatred, or pain. His hand slowly loosened, and Pei Lanqing slumped to the ground, his dark hair falling forward to obscure his face.
“You said I could dispose of you as I pleased,” Xiao Linye rasped, raising his long saber and pressing it against Pei Lanqing’s neck. “After years of campaigning abroad, the first thing I learned was to strike at the root.”
“Xiao Dexuan is already dead. You carry his bastard child in your womb. I cannot allow it to live.”
Pei Lanqing swayed slightly, his expression hidden by his hair, but Xiao Linye could see him silently protect his abdomen.
A wave of helplessness washed over Xiao Linye, extinguishing the fire in his heart. He could no longer grip the knife, letting it fall to the ground.
“Fine… fine…”
“In the Grand Tutor’s eyes, I’m inferior to Xiao Dexuan, and even to the flesh and blood in your womb!”
“All these years, I’ve been deluding myself, blinded by foolishness!”
With that, he turned his back on Pei Lanqing, his steps heavy as he retreated from the icy Phoenix Prosperity Palace, each stride as deliberate as when he had arrived.
Pei Lanqing remained collapsed on the ground until Xiao Linye’s retreating figure vanished from sight. He coughed violently, unable to suppress the spasms, flecks of blood staining the corners of his mouth.
“Don’t be afraid…” he murmured, curling up on the floor, his hands soothing the restless child within him. “Cough, cough, cough… Don’t be afraid. Your father won’t harm us…”
As he whispered these words, tears fell silently onto the floor.
Pei Lanqing knew how deeply his words had wounded Xiao Linye, but he had no choice. While he struck at Xiao Linye, his own heart bled just as fiercely…
After leaving Phoenix Prosperity Palace that day, Xiao Linye threw himself completely into state affairs.
Regardless of the circumstances, he had indeed led a military rebellion, forcing the new emperor to his death. Even though no one in the court dared utter a word against him now, he still had to clean up the mess left in the wake of his usurpation.
For three consecutive days, Xiao Linye numbed himself with political matters, working almost without rest.
Tian Rui, the elderly eunuch who had served him since childhood, paced anxiously outside the Imperial Study. No matter how he pleaded, Xiao Linye refused to rest.
On the third morning, as dawn barely broke, Xiao Linye felt his head swimming. Still unwilling to sleep, he decided to take a walk.
He dismissed his attendants and wandered aimlessly through the palace walls, shrouded in morning mist.
After walking for some time, he found himself standing outside Phoenix Prosperity Palace.
For three days, Xiao Linye had numbed himself with state affairs, but the moment he arrived here, he couldn’t help but recall Pei Lanqing’s face.
After a moment’s hesitation, he stepped inside.
Since the imperial city had been breached, all palace maids and eunuchs had been detained and screened individually. As a result, no attendants had been assigned to Phoenix Prosperity Palace.
Xiao Linye had just stepped into the imperial bedchamber when he heard a series of heart-wrenching coughs. His chest tightened, and he found himself involuntarily moving toward the inner chamber.
Since Xiao Linye’s departure, Pei Lanqing had developed a high fever. Having lost all will to live, he was only clinging to life for the sake of the child in his womb. He had managed to swallow some medicine, but it brought no relief.
Now, roused from a feverish slumber, Pei Lanqing felt his throat burning with thirst. Yet his body, weakened by the fever, was too weak to even reach the teacup on the bedside table.
After several futile attempts, his body suddenly tilted, and he was about to fall off the bed.
But instead of the expected pain of a fall, Pei Lanqing felt a pair of strong hands steady him and gently lift him back onto the bed.
His eyes widened as he saw Xiao Linye’s face.
Neither spoke. Xiao Linye didn’t even know why he was doing this. He silently tucked the blankets around Pei Lanqing, then picked up the teacup from the bedside table and brought it to his lips.
Pei Lanqing had even forgotten the pain in his throat. The fever had clouded his mind, leaving him staring blankly at Xiao Linye.
Five years had passed. This was the first time in all that time that Pei Lanqing could see Xiao Linye up close like this—the orphaned boy he had known since childhood, now grown into such a tall and imposing figure.
Xiao Linye had always possessed the exotic blood of Consort Rong, his features deep and striking. Years spent on the battlefield, weathered by sun and sand, had etched a rugged maturity onto his face, transforming him into a dignified and formidable emperor.
Noticing Pei Lanqing staring at him without drinking, Xiao Linye couldn’t help but ask, “What’s wrong, Grand Tutor? Are you afraid the water is poisoned?”
Pei Lanqing snapped out of his daze, shook his head, and drained the cup in one gulp.
Just then, a cold draft swept through the poorly sealed window of the imperial bedchamber, scattering the papers on the table beneath it. Pei Lanqing froze for a moment, then braced himself to gather them. But before he could move, several sheets had already fallen at Xiao Linye’s feet.
Noticing the Grand Tutor’s strange expression, Xiao Linye picked up the scattered papers and scrutinized them.
“I have always cherished the duty to defend our lands, fighting tirelessly on the battlefield for five years with unwavering loyalty and devotion, as heaven and earth bear witness… Yet since ascending the throne as Xian’an, I have indulged in pleasure, neglected the people’s welfare, corrupted the court’s integrity, ignored the starving masses in all directions, and even harmed my own brothers…”
“What is this?” Xiao Linye demanded, his grip tightening on the paper until it nearly crumpled.
Pei Lanqing couldn’t possibly reveal that this was the imperial edict he had painstakingly drafted for Xiao Linye’s ascension to the throne during his recent severe illness. He knew Xiao Linye’s seizure of power was illegitimate and that he would need a convincing explanation for the world upon his coronation.
Pei Lanqing didn’t trust anyone else with this task, but he also knew Xiao Linye would never use anything he wrote. So, he planned to draft it first, then find a way to secretly deliver it to an old friend in the Hanlin Academy, who would present it to Xiao Linye under another’s name.
But fate had other plans… the autumn wind had destroyed it all.
“I never imagined the Grand Tutor would care so much about my ascension,” Xiao Linye said, his bloodshot eyes, reddened from sleepless nights, fixed intently on Pei Lanqing. He desperately wanted to hear even a trace of the warmth from their past. “What is this? Some kind of pledge of loyalty to the new emperor?”
“No,” Pei Lanqing shook his head. He knew what Xiao Linye wanted to hear, but he couldn’t say it. “This humble subject merely hopes… that after Your Highness ascends the throne, you will treat the Pei Clan kindly, out of consideration for this document.”
Xiao Linye’s heart sank to the depths once more. He tore the edict to shreds, scattering the fragments between them with a violent wave of his hand.
“Treat the Pei Clan kindly? The Grand Tutor can barely protect himself, yet he dares to negotiate with me?
“What utter delusion!”
Xiao Linye’s fury surged to its peak once more. Yet, gazing at Pei Lanqing, who lay on the bed, so frail he seemed barely human, and recalling how feather-light the man had felt when he lifted him earlier, he restrained himself with immense effort. Unable to bring himself to harm Pei Lanqing further, he stormed out of Phoenix Prosperity Palace.
The elderly eunuch Tian Rui stood anxiously guarding the palace entrance with his attendants. Having watched Xiao Linye grow up, he knew well the former intimacy between the emperor and Pei Lanqing.
Though he dared not comment on his master’s affairs, Tian Rui felt deeply saddened by their mutual torment and feared further conflict within the palace.
When he saw Xiao Linye emerge with a thunderous expression, Tian Rui hurried forward to offer a few words of comfort, only to be immediately cut off by the emperor’s sharp voice.
“Has everyone in the Imperial Household Department died these past few days? There’s not a single soul in Phoenix Prosperity Palace!”
“Send several palace attendants with clean records to watch over him day and night!”
Tian Rui never expected Xiao Linye to issue such an order while still seething with anger. Surprised, he also felt a slight sense of relief.
Then Xiao Linye added, “Summon Imperial Physicians Liu and Feng immediately! Have them give him a thorough examination! I won’t have him dying of illness in this palace.”
With that, he strode toward the main hall without waiting for a response.
A prince betrayed. A tutor torn between love and duty.
In a palace haunted by war and longing, only the truth burns harder than the poison.
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