Tang Jiayu pried desperately at Wei Chengjun's fingers, but they held as rigid as iron. Her heart sank to ice. Was she truly a princess?
To leap from merchant's daughter to princess was a meteoric rise in station, and Tang Jiayu should have been elated—but a princess raised in Bingzhou was an ill omen indeed.
She was no imperial prince, so what use would imprisoning her serve? Why had she been in Hedong at all? And now, why were these traitorous rebels fighting over her?
Tang Jiayu could make no sense of it. Through the jostling, she spotted Tang Guangcheng hurrying toward them with his guards in tow. Overjoyed, she cried out to her father: "Father, I'm here! Save me!"
Tang Guangcheng's face contorted with fury at the sight of Wei Chengjun clutching his daughter. He bellowed: "Wei Chengjun! The Military Governor treated you as his own son—whatever the Young Lord had, you had in equal measure. Yet you repay kindness with betrayal and turn on your master! Wei, you traitor! There is still time to repent. Put her down, and when the Young Lord returns, I will beg him to spare your life."
Wei Chengjun burst into laughter, his voice turning sinister: "Nonsense! How am I inferior to Li Zhaoji? Why must everything be handed to me by his grace? Li Jichen is dead now. The Military Governor's seal and The Lingyun Chart are both in my hands—what right does Li Zhaoji have to compete with me?"
Tang Jiayu frowned. The Military Governor's gold seal was like the imperial jade seal—the symbol of authority for a Fanzhen Military Governorate's commander. She could understand Wei Chengjun seizing the seal, but what was The Lingyun Chart?
Tang Jiayu did not know, but Tang Guangcheng clearly did. His face drained of color, and he stared long and hard at Tang Jiayu before barking orders to the household guards behind him: "Loose arrows! Kill the rebels—not one shall be spared!"
Tang Jiayu's heart seized. "Father, I'm still here!" she shouted.
But her father, who doted on her to the point of granting her every wish, only looked at her from afar with a voice cold and alien: "This old servant failed to guard the imperial princess; I will atone with my death. But The Lingyun Chart cannot fall into the hands of traitors. Better I kill you than let you serve Wei's purposes—let The Lingyun Chart be lost forever."
Tang Jiayu whispered in disbelief: "Father…"
Her voice was swallowed by the swirling snow. Arrows fell in sheets, like a plague of locusts blotting out the sky. Wei family's personal guards hurriedly raised shields before Tang Jiayu. Soldier after soldier fell, countless lives forming a wall of flesh, until at last she was hustled behind a corridor pillar, catching her breath at last.
Blood melted into the snow-water, soaking through Tang Jiayu's embroidered shoes. Chill crept up through her bones, freezing her to the core.
Her father wanted to kill her?
Wei Chengjun's men were dropping one after another. Disheveled and defeated, he snarled: "Pang Cheng played the wealthy merchant in the Tang household for fourteen years—I thought his martial skills had rusted away to nothing. I never imagined his ability to deploy troops remained as sharp as ever!"
"Pang Cheng was once a tiger among Li Jichen's generals—we cannot underestimate him," cautioned the strategist beside Wei Chengjun. "Young Commander, a secret report has arrived from Daizhou. Upon hearing of Yunzhou's emergency, Li Zhaoji took three hundred of his personal cavalry to Yunzhou two days ago to oversee the battle. If he learns of Li Jichen's death, he may well divert his course and return to Bingzhou. We must be prepared!"
Three generations of the Li family had held sway in Hedong, their roots running deep and unshakable. Had it not been for the frontier emergency—which drew the Raven Army from The Citadel northward to reinforce the border—and had Wei Chengjun not used his position as Li Jichen's nephew to slaughter the loyal generals while no one was watching, he would never have found his opening.
But taking Bingzhou did not mean they could hold it, nor did it mean Wei Chengjun could smoothly become the Military Governor of Hedong. As long as Li Zhaoji remained alive, Wei Chengjun would never have a moment's peace.
When Wei Chengjun heard that name, murderous intent surged through him. "He only has three hundred men—what threat can he possibly pose? I've already ambushed two thousand troops along the road to intercept and kill him. It's guaranteed to succeed!"
Wei Chengjun insisted it was foolproof, but his strategist frowned and said, "Young General, to avoid complications, we must seize control of the camp outside the city and take over Bingzhou's garrison before Li Zhaoji gets word. That would be the best course of action. Time is pressing—we cannot afford to delay here!"
Wei Chengjun knew this all too well. Fortunately, he had prepared in advance. With a grim face, he fired a signal flare, which was instantly swallowed by the wind and snow.
It seemed useless. No sooner had Tang Jiayu thought this than a thunderous boom erupted beyond the courtyard wall. The blast wave sent everyone in the courtyard—friend and foe alike—stumbling and crashing to the ground.
Wei Chengjun, that madman—he had brought out cannons!
Tang Jiayu was shielded at the innermost ring by the soldiers, but even so, her face was blackened by soot and she coughed incessantly. She weakly pushed herself up, too frightened to hesitate, crawling on hands and knees over the bodies to hide behind a new piece of cover. The high walls of the Tang estate had been blasted open by force, and from the street outside surged a group of well-trained soldiers, who stopped cautiously beyond the range of arrows.
A young man, bound hand and foot, was shoved to the front of the formation. Tang Jiayu initially didn't understand who this young man was, but when Tang Guangcheng saw the youth's face, his expression changed drastically: "Maoji!"
Tang Jiayu froze. Even though she had never heard that name before, she instantly guessed who this person was.
So her father did have a true son, named Maoji.
The soldiers removed the cloth gag from the young man's mouth. The youth stiffened his neck and refused to make a sound, but one of Wei's personal guards, with lightning speed, raised his blade and chopped off one of the young man's fingers.
The youth cried out in pain. Tang Guangcheng's eyes turned bloodshot, his gaze fierce and blazing: "Don't harm my son!"
Wei Chengjun wiped the soot from his face and rose with a laugh: "Pang Cheng, you hid your wife and son well—it took considerable effort to find them. He's only eighteen, just at the prime age for building a career, taking a wife, and raising children. Have your men lower their bows, or else I'll chop off all ten of his fingers right in front of you!"
Tang Guangcheng clenched his jaw tightly, veins bulging on his neck. Seeing that Tang Guangcheng didn't move, Wei Chengjun waved his hand. The soldier raised his blade, about to strike at the young man's thumb.
Tang Guangcheng had not hesitated for a moment when he ordered his archers to fire at Tang Jiayu. But now, even though he knew Wei Chengjun was playing tricks, and even if he agreed to Wei Chengjun's demands, they might not let Maoji go—still, that was his son!
As the blade fell, Tang Guangcheng finally couldn't hold back and shouted: "Stop!"
The furrows on his face twitched, as if he had aged a decade in an instant, utterly defeated: "Lower your weapons."
The household guards behind Tang Guangcheng lowered their bows one by one, and Wei Chengjun's men seized the opportunity to break through. Tang Jiayu watched this scene in a daze, and even as the sounds of slaughter rose again—chaotic soldiers, stray arrows, flesh and blood flying everywhere, soldiers with bloodshot eyes all around—she couldn't help but turn back to look at that father who had doted on her, cherished her like a pearl in his palm, as if he could never bear to refuse her any request.
Gold and silver, silks and satins—whatever she wanted, he gave her. But at the moment of life and death, he had ordered his archers to fire at her.
So, the home where she had lived happily for seventeen years was a lie. He was not her father, not named Tang Guangcheng, not a merchant, not the towering mountain that sheltered her from wind and rain. He was Pang Cheng, a man with a wife and children, a trusted general under Li Jichen.
She was merely his assignment.
Tang Jiayu was shoved into the carriage almost roughly. Before she could even begin to process her grief, Wei Chengjun struck her unconscious with a single blow.
Before she lost consciousness, she saw the wind roll up fragments of snow and blow open the carriage curtain. Jiang Guo, who had never shown her a warm smile, was wounded, standing with her head bowed before Wei Chengjun, asking with respect and expectation: "General, this servant is incompetent. I failed to bring the imperial daughter out of the Tang residence and have put you to the trouble of coming in person. But Jiang Guo, she…"
Through the sound of the wind, Wei Chengjun's reply was lofty and indifferent: "Rest assured. Even if you have no merit, you have worked hard. I will not treat you and your daughter poorly."
Oh. So Jiang Guo had family of her own too.
Tang Jiayu closed her eyes. Her forehead knocked against the cold carriage, and she lost consciousness completely.
.
When Tang Jiayu woke again, she saw a wall covered in blades, spears, and halberds, with a wolf pelt, completely stripped from its body, hanging in the center, gazing at her darkly.
Voices drifted in faintly from outside.
"The General flatters me too much. Though my father had imperial blood, Chang'an is likewise coerced by the Li father and son—let alone Youzhou. If my identity as the grandson of the Grand Princess were truly useful, I would not have been invited by Li Jichen to Bingzhou as a guest—a guest for three years."
The man's voice was like the sound of a forest stream, carrying a faint trace of mockery. Tang Jiayu recognized it immediately—it was Wang Rong's voice.
Had the letter from the skylark arrived? Was he here to save her?
Tang Jiayu did not dare move, quietly listening to the conversation outside.
Another voice belonged to Wei Chengjun: "The Young Lord is too modest. Everyone knows the Wang family has close ties with Chang'an and enjoys great favor. Memorials sent from Youzhou are always approved by the court. If you would help me submit a memorial to the throne, requesting the court to formally appoint me as Military Governor of Hedong, I am willing to become sworn brothers with the Young Lord. From now on, no matter who attacks Youzhou, Hedong will send troops to protect it."
Wang Rong smiled bitterly. Sworn brothers? Wei Chengjun and Li Zhaoji were cousins who had grown up together, and yet he had still betrayed him without a second thought. Wei Chengjun wanted the Wang family to submit a memorial to the court to legitimize his position—but if the Wang family truly did so, they would offend Li Zhaoji beyond repair.
Wang Rong declined tactfully: "After my grandmother passed away, the connection between Youzhou and Chang'an was severed. It has been several years now without contact, and many faces are no longer familiar. I am truly willing but powerless. I hope the General will forgive me."
Seeing Wang Rong refuse him again and again, Wei Chengjun's hawk-like eyes narrowed, revealing a sinister and ruthless glint: "Wang Rong, I invited you here for a friendly discussion out of respect for you. Did you think the memorial could not be submitted without the Wang family? Let me tell you the truth—that girl at the Tang residence is not my uncle's illegitimate daughter, but the daughter lost by Emperor Xizong on his flight south. If I marry her and then submit a memorial to the court, I can likewise obtain the court's recognition."
Tang Jiayu was profoundly shaken. She held her breath, hoping to hear more about the secrets of her origins. Behind the screen, Wang Rong was equally surprised by this news: "She is a princess of the late Emperor?"
"Naturally." Wei Chengjun thought Wang Rong did not believe him, and unhurriedly revealed the secret from seventeen years ago. "In the first year of Guangming, Li Jichen went south to quell a rebellion. His wife, Lady Liu, happened to be pregnant, so my mother stayed at the Li residence to attend the birth. One night, Li Jichen's trusted subordinate mysteriously sent back a baby girl from the front lines, instructing Lady Liu to raise her in secret and never let her be seen. At that time, Lady Liu had recently given birth to Li Zhaoji, so she raised the two children together to conceal the truth. In the second year of Guangqi, Li Jichen defeated the rebel army and recovered Chang'an. He was enfeoffed as Military Governor of Hedong and received Bingzhou as his fief. He moved his residence to Bingzhou and took the opportunity to completely replace his household staff, so that no one knew the Li family had ever raised a baby girl. That same year, a wealthy merchant's residence, the Tang household, appeared in Bingzhou."
Wang Rong was greatly shocked, but Wei Chengjun would not stoop to lying about such a matter. Moreover, upon careful reflection, many odd details suddenly fell into place. "No wonder Li Jichen did not want her to go out. He satisfied her every request, yet never allowed her into Bingzhou's social circles. That year, when Zhang Chao captured Chang'an, Emperor Xizong fled in panic to Shu. It makes sense that a princess could have been lost along the way…"
Wang Rong suddenly paused, as if something had occurred to him, and his expression shifted subtly. "That year, only Consort Wang was with child. Consort Wang gave birth to the eldest princess during the flight, but alas, the rebels pursued them closely, and neither mother nor daughter survived. After Emperor Xizong settled in Yizhou and learned that Consort Wang and the eldest princess had perished, he wept bitterly and posthumously honored Consort Wang as Empress Jiayi and the eldest princess as Princess Qixing. General, are you saying that Tang Jiayu is Princess Qixing?"
Wei Chengjun was a military man. How would he know which princesses and princes there were in the palace? He nodded casually. "Perhaps. How do you know all this so clearly?"
Wang Rong hesitated to speak. It was naturally because his grandmother had married a daughter into the palace, who was greatly favored and was invested as Zhaoyi the following year by Emperor Xizong.
That Consort Wang who died on the road south was his aunt.
Wang Rong had once been coerced by Li Jichen into indulging Tang Jiayu, and in his heart he deeply detested that merchant girl who did not know her place. But now he learned that she was very likely his cousin.
Wang Rong could not help feeling guilty, and imperceptibly glanced toward the screen. Had he known earlier, when he saw the blood letter on Yunqiao's leg, he should have gone to save her. Yet Wang Rong then thought again—he was himself a hostage in Youzhou. What strength did he have to rescue anyone?
If Emperor Xizong were still alive, she would be the legitimate eldest princess in the palace. If Wang Rong sent word to Chang'an, the court might send troops to rescue her. But Emperor Xizong, during the flight south, suffered the ruin of his country and the loss of his sovereign power, was separated from his wife and children, and took it very hard. He died the following year at the Yizhou traveling palace, only twenty years old, leaving no heirs. The one on the throne now was Tang Jiayu's uncle.
Would the new emperor risk offending the Hedong army to send troops to rescue a niece he had never met?
Wang Rong clenched his knuckles, deeply hating his own helplessness, and tried to make amends for something. "She is but a woman. In the court's eyes, she has been dead for years. Even with a princess's identity, it is an empty shell. If you, General, say she is a princess, will the court believe it?"
Wei Chengjun laughed heartily. "That is no concern of yours, Young Lord. When Li Jichen found her back then, there was also The Lingyun Chart and a letter in Consort Wang's own handwriting in her swaddling clothes. With these two in hand, the court will not dare deny it."
"The Lingyun Chart…" Wang Rong's pupils contracted sharply, and he murmured softly, "So that is how it is. Li Jichen went to such great lengths—all for The Lingyun Chart."
Wang Rong raised his eyes and looked at Wei Chengjun with a deeply complicated gaze. "The rumor that one who obtains The Lingyun Chart shall obtain the realm—General truly believes that?"
Why wouldn't he? Li Jichen had gone so far as to fabricate an entire Tang estate out of thin air, expending vast amounts of manpower and resources to stage a play for Tang Jiayu. There had to be a reason.
Wei Chengjun was unwilling to reveal more. He sneered coldly, "True or false, what does it matter? She's a princess, at least that much is certain. If I take her by force tonight and then petition the court for a title tomorrow, the court—for the sake of face—will surely appoint me Military Governor of Hedong. If I reach that position, what use would being the Military Governor of Youzhou be? Young Lord Wang, would you not agree?"
Wei Chengjun knew the person inside was awake, but he didn't care. A weak woman—what could she do even if she knew these secrets? He needed to pressure Wang Rong into siding with him, not just to submit a petition on his behalf to the court, but to command the Youzhou army behind Wang Rong as well.
Wang Rong's knuckles were white with tension. This world always forced him to choose—either sacrifice these things, or sacrifice those. But did he even have a choice?
Tang Jiayu dared not breathe. After a long while, or perhaps only an instant, she heard Wang Rong's faint voice, as if it were about to dissolve into nothing: "Very well. I shall submit the petition for the General."
Rustling sounds came from outside. Tang Jiayu closed her eyes and feigned sleep. Someone left, and someone entered. The footsteps of the one who came in stopped before her and did not move for a long time.
His gaze was heavy and scorching, as if it carried physical weight. Tang Jiayu's heart pounded like a war drum, but she kept her eyes tightly shut, playing dead to the end.
She knew she should wake up now and say something coaxing and flattering to Wei Chengjun, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.
Wei Chengjun sensed her silent defiance. He let out a laugh and brushed his hand ambiguously across her cheek. "That Wang Rong you pine for day and night—he does hold some genuine feeling for you."
Every hair on Tang Jiayu's body stood on end. She forced herself not to flinch. Wei Chengjun's hand slowly traveled down to her neck, squeezing with a fully loaded warning. "You should be grateful you're a princess. Otherwise, you'd have died hundreds of times by now. Do you think I actually like you? Hah. Playing house at the Tang estate was the most boring assignment I've ever taken. If Li Jichen hadn't ordered me to pry the secret of The Lingyun Chart out of you, I wouldn't have given you a single glance."
Wei Chengjun rose, looking down at her with cold, piercing eyes. "After we're married, you'd best behave yourself."
It was a long time after his footsteps faded away before Tang Jiayu slowly opened her eyes.
An innocent man may be safe, but possessing a coveted treasure is the crime.
How fortunate she was—to be that treasure that set the world to war.