The surroundings were eerily silent, with only a large crescent moon hanging in the sky. The area around the Zhuang family had always been quiet, but now, an hour after the city-wide curfew drums had been sounded, every household had tightly shut its doors. Yet, a cluster of small sedan chairs, guided by faint lanterns, gradually gathered in the alley near the Zhuang residence.
People stepped out of the sedan chairs, nervously surveying their surroundings, unable to believe that the emperor had recently been staying in such a secluded place.
The emperor’s image grew increasingly profound, suspicious, and unfathomable—and even more terrifying!
Prince Fu was the last to arrive. Stepping out of his sedan chair, he frowned as he glanced at the dim and humble dwellings around him. Guided by an inner official, he entered the courtyard at the back.
The courtyard was brightly lit. Several high-ranking officials stood with bowed heads and hunched backs, reporting to the emperor. Fu Yan, dressed in plain clothes, reclined in the central chair. His young and handsome face, with its pitch-black eyes, remained expressionless.
Prince Fu clasped his hands and said, “Greetings, Your Majesty.”
Fu Yan nodded, and Li Qing hurriedly invited Prince Fu to take a seat on the lower left side.
The cause of the explosion had been preliminarily identified as originating from the fireworks workshop. Fortunately, as it was the Phoenix Lantern Festival, no one was in the workshop, and most of the surrounding residents were not at home. However, many houses were damaged. Ruyi Tower was also affected, with some soldiers inside sustaining minor injuries.
Now, the investigation focused on whether this was an accident or a deliberate act.
Although everyone understood that it was most likely the latter.
Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence?
Targeting the emperor made the matter extremely serious.
The Western Capital Magistrate trembled as he said, “All the people from the fireworks workshop have been arrested.”
“Due to the lantern festival, the fireworks workshop was locked and closed yesterday. The news of Your Majesty’s visit to Ruyi Tower was only announced this evening. It seems someone acted on impulse to harm Your Majesty.”
Fu Yan glanced at him. “Are you alright?”
Prince Fu forced a smile, his expression grim. “Just a minor injury.”
He had been struck by debris from the explosion, leaving a shallow cut on his face that now appeared as a mere bloodstain. Known for his vanity, he said anxiously, “I was careless. I only had the surrounding residents and merchants inspected, thinking the fireworks workshop was government-owned and already locked, so I overlooked it!”
Upon hearing the mention of “government-owned,” the Western Capital Magistrate quickly added, “All relevant officials have also been detained!”
The gathering was merely to apologize to the emperor and discuss the case, but the investigation was still ongoing. Everything would have to wait until the results were released the next day.
After everyone had dispersed, Prince Fu said, “I can’t help but feel this matter is very strange. If it were an accident, the timing is too coincidental. If it were an assassination attempt, the execution was far from meticulous. Not only was Your Majesty not in Ruyi Tower, but the fireworks workshop was also some distance away. Among all the fireworks in the workshop, why did only the Phoenix fireworks, which were the fewest in number, explode? Is this the work of remnants from the previous dynasty, or is someone deliberately trying to confuse us?”
He raised a series of questions.
The commotion was significant, but the lethality was not strong, shrouded in layers of mystery.
Fu Yan pondered and said, “It doesn’t seem aimed at killing me. It seems more like it was targeting you.”
Prince Fu exclaimed, “What?”
Fu Yan’s voice was soft in the night, his eyes even darker. “We’ll know the truth in a couple of days.”
Prince Fu couldn’t help but feel a twinge of fear. Though he and his brother now held high positions, they still walked on thin ice. Their great task remained unfinished—only the cage that imprisoned them had changed from the barren island of Shuocao to a larger one.
Now that the young eagles had grown, and the cage had grown old and worn, they would either break free or be killed within it.
“But what matters most right now is my brother’s safety. Is it truly secure for him to stay here? In my opinion, it would be best for him to return to the temporary palace.”
Li Qing replied, “Your Highness, rest assured. We have thoroughly vetted everyone within several miles of this area. The moment any stranger enters, Yingqi and the others will know immediately.”
Prince Fu glanced at the courtyard ahead. “How much longer must my brother keep up this act of being a foolish and reckless ruler?”
Fu Yan asked, “How do you know it’s all an act?”
Prince Fu: “…”
He stood in place, watching as Fu Yan walked away. Li Qing bowed to him before hurriedly following.
Within the small courtyard, once the door closed, it became a world of its own. In the nearly twenty years of living on thin ice, the emperor had occasionally sought out such a small refuge to hide away and, for a brief moment, be Zhang Ji.
Ji—it had been a very, very long time since he had heard that name.
Fu Yan lay on the couch, lost in thought.
Li Qing lowered the bed curtains. “Your Majesty, it’s late. You should rest.”
Fu Yan said, “Do you think I might bring trouble upon him?”
Li Qing paused before asking, “Does Your Majesty wish to leave this place?”
“He would be heartbroken,” Fu Yan mused. “I can see he cares for me deeply.”
Li Qing replied, “Your Majesty also cares deeply for Lord Kuang, doesn’t he?”
Even someone as willful as the emperor was now worrying about causing trouble for others.
He thought His Majesty had grown gentler! More human!
Then he heard Fu Yan say, “Never mind. I cannot possibly lose. When the time comes, I’ll make him my empress.”
Li Qing: “…”
He smiled flatteringly and said, “Then Lord Kuang would be truly fortunate!”
Since it was so unrealistic, he didn’t bother to dampen the mood by pointing out how absurd the idea of a male empress might be.
Fu Yan, however, seemed to be contemplating the possibility, clearly growing excited at the thought. Curling his legs and leaning back on the couch, he exposed his sturdy chest and took two more pills, saying, “It’s been hard all day.”
Li Qing: “…”
Today’s events seemed to have unsettled the emperor, and the calming pills clearly weren’t working. When he was troubled, his temper could turn peculiar, so Li Qing was cautious. Seeing that Fu Yan had already lain down, he lowered the curtains. As the curtains fell, the “dragon” gradually faded into the darkness.
The next day, the entire city of Shuangluan was filled with unease.
Everyone in the city knew that the emperor had been assassinated the day before!
Fortunately, Ruyi Tower was some distance from the fireworks shop that had exploded, or else many more heads would have rolled!
Wang Baobao couldn’t leave the house today either. Su Hui had instructed them to stay indoors at all costs. Though they couldn’t go out, the day’s conversations inevitably revolved around the emperor.
Servants gathered in small groups, first speculating whether the emperor would fly into a rage. After all, he was notorious for having a temper worse than his age, making him difficult to serve.
“By now, he’s probably torn the roof off the Phoenix Palace! Who knows how many will be implicated?”
Upon hearing this, his sister’s face turned ashen.
After all, from last night until now, her husband had been busy outside and hadn’t returned.
The emperor’s assassination was undoubtedly a failure in protection, and local officials would certainly be held accountable. Although Su Hui was not at Ruyi Tower that night, who knew whether the enraged emperor might implicate him.
The conversation then turned to the assassin.
“Truly audacious, to dare assassinate the emperor!”
“Certainly no ordinary person!”
“Will this implicate our Shuangluan City? My husband said people from Jiantai speak ill of us, always suspecting us of rebellious intentions. And now this incident—why did there have to be so many phoenix fireworks amidst the explosion? Clearly meant to stir trouble!”
“Exactly, and yesterday happened to be the Phoenix Temple Lantern Festival! My first thought was someone trying to restore the Chen Dynasty! How could the emperor tolerate that?”
“Who has rebellious intentions? Certainly not me.”
“It’s been over a hundred years since Emperor Chengzu unified the realm. We may grumble in private, but who among us doesn’t acknowledge being subjects of Great Zhou? Besides, the current Western Capital regent is Prince Fu, the emperor’s most trusted prince. Isn’t the Western Capital all under his control now?”
“Do you think if something happened to the emperor, Prince Fu would ascend the throne?”
“Keep your voice down, don’t let the master hear!”
“We’re just talking among ourselves. I don’t believe there are imperial spies in our mansion—we’re all longtime servants here! But tell me, among the princes with fiefs, doesn’t Prince Fu have the best lineage? Same maternal clan as the emperor—both from the Hedong Zhang family.”
“The Hedong Zhang clan lost its glory long ago, leaving only an imperial uncle who’s crippled, holding a mere sinecure granted by the emperor. The Xie family dominates now. Haven’t many city gentry been rushing to marry off their daughters lately? In my opinion, they’re overreacting to rumors. With the Grand Empress Dowager and the prime minister in power, the empress will surely be a Xie daughter.”
“What do you know? On the surface, they fear the imperial selection, but what they truly fear is catching the emperor’s eye without gaining status! Then earning the Xie family’s hatred—their whole clan would be doomed!”
“Is the Xie family that powerful now?”
“Without the Xie family, the current emperor might not even be on the throne! Didn’t Emperor Daizong die mysteriously right after warming the throne?”
“That was Emperor Daizong’s incompetence. The current emperor doesn’t seem like someone easily manipulated! After the emperor’s grand wedding, when governance returns to normal, if the Xie family remains this arrogant, the emperor will eventually dismantle them! After all, the current emperor is the only legitimate son, with the late emperor’s decree—his succession is rightful!”
“We’ve strayed from the topic. Based on Old Li’s words, if something happened to the emperor, Prince Fu would benefit most? Then doesn’t he become the prime suspect in this attack?”
“That shows you know nothing of court affairs. All these years, how do you think Prince Fu replaced officials with loyalists? He’s the emperor’s man!”
“I heard Prince Fu and the current emperor are maternal cousins, both imprisoned on Shuocao Island since childhood. He’s the emperor’s most trusted person. If Prince Fu wanted to rebel, why resort to explosions?”
“Whoever the assassin is, I despise them! If they had courage, they should emulate Baili Su, who faced the dragon alone with a single sword! Explosions are no child’s play—how many innocents were harmed!”
“True that!”
“Hey, was Baili Su really alone?”
“Doesn’t ‘The Dragon-Slaying Chronicle’ sing it? 【With a seven-inch blade, he took the dragon’s head; one man, one horse, traversed nine heavens】!”
The conversation drifted to the fictional characters in the plays, and from there, it veered off into all sorts of wild tangents.
Wang Baobao climbed down from his chair, preparing to sneak out and see what was happening.
If his brother-in-law got caught up in this mess, he needed to be ready!
He didn’t dare ride a horse or take a carriage, slipping out of the estate alone and quietly. His brother-in-law’s home was in the eastern part of the city, an area where high-ranking officials and nobles gathered. Usually, carriages and horses came and went without end, and the sounds of music and strings echoed from within the walls. But today, it was eerily quiet, with every household’s gates tightly shut. From time to time, soldiers in armor rustled through the streets. The sunlight, however, was lovely, shining on the tender buds of the parasol trees, while birds chirped and fluttered all over the ground.
Wang Baobao had been in the Western Capital for three years with his sister and brother-in-law, but he had never seen the city so silent. It felt like walking through a familiar yet strange parallel world, a silence so profound it stirred anxiety.
He wandered the streets for a while before heading toward the government office. Fortunately, the officials there recognized him and immediately brought him to Su Hui.
Su Hui was overwhelmed with work. He was, by nature, a frail scholar with a timid disposition, and now, dark circles shadowed his eyes. It was clear he hadn’t just stayed up all night—he had likely spent the night in a state of fear and dread, looking as if he might collapse at any moment.
“Brother-in-law!”
Seeing him, Su Hui hurried over and asked, “Has something happened at home?”
“No, no, we just hadn’t seen you return, and both my sister and I were worried, so I came to check on you,” Wang Baobao replied. “How’s the investigation going? Will you be alright?”
Su Hui pulled him aside to a secluded spot and said, “It’s not that easy to investigate. Stay out of official matters and keep your sister company at home. No news is the best news! Hurry back home and don’t go out these next few days.”
Wang Baobao nodded. Su Hui urged him, “Go quickly. I’m swamped here.”
As Wang Baobao turned to leave, Su Hui suddenly called out to him again, “Wait.”
Wang Baobao looked back. “Brother-in-law, what is it?”
Su Hui hesitated, then beckoned him closer, taking another two steps toward an even quieter spot. “Are you good friends with that person who wears the fox mask?”
Wang Baobao was taken aback for a moment before nodding.
Su Hui asked, “How often do you see each other?”
Wang Baobao said, “He’s my best friend!”
Su Hui replied, “Don’t associate with him for now… and it’s best if you never associate with him again.”
Wang Baobao asked, “Why?”
Su Hui looked at his physically strong but not particularly bright brother-in-law, thinking that if he continued speaking in riddles without revealing the truth, Wang Baobao might cause trouble. Not to mention what that person, now living incognito and disguised as an ordinary man, was planning to do. Serving the emperor was like walking alongside a tiger—even seasoned officials like them lived in constant fear, treading on thin ice. How much more so for his foolish brother-in-law!
“Do you know who that Rakshasa by his side is?”
Wang Baobao replied, “…I know.”
The son-in-law Kuang Xuexian had taken in! He remembered telling his brother-in-law about him!
“You know nothing,” Su Hui said, his expression turning grave. “He is the emperor!”