Zhang Yao, sell every coffin you own.
…
Along the covered corridor of Qianqing Palace, Xu Songnian supported his injured leg as he followed behind the Fengming Emperor, matching his pace step by step.
Four birdcages hung from the corridor, each containing a single white jade bird.
After the rain, the sky had cleared completely. The white jade birds sang especially brightly, and the Emperor was in a good mood. He ordered a chair brought out and placed in the corridor. Xu Songnian hurried forward to assist him into the seat.
The palace attendants all stood far away, leaving only Xu Songnian to serve the tea.
Although the Fengming Emperor had lived in Liangjing for many years, he still preferred a particular mist tea he had drunk back when he governed his fief in Yuzhou.
He was extremely particular about this tea. Xu Songnian had spent a great deal of effort teaching Yang Zhaoyue and the others how to brew it, yet none of them had ever managed to satisfy the Emperor.
The water had not yet come to a boil. After helping the Emperor sit down, Xu Songnian immediately returned to stand watch beside the brazier.
The Emperor smoothed the robe over his knees and smiled.
“Your leg hurts this badly. Why insist on coming to attend me?”
Bowing beside the brazier, Xu Songnian replied, “No matter how much Your Majesty elevates this servant, no matter how imposing I may seem outside, when I return home, am I not still Your Majesty’s dog at your feet?”
The Emperor picked up a stalk of millet and raised his hand to tease the birds.
“Do you regard this place as your home?” he asked casually.
Seeing this, Xu Songnian hurried over, limped forward, and knelt on one knee while presenting bird feed to the Emperor.
“Of course. Wherever my master is, this servant feels at ease.”
The Emperor lowered his head to look at Xu Songnian and suddenly laughed.
“Heh. A servant of two surnames.”
The moment he heard those words, Xu Songnian immediately dropped to both knees and prostrated himself at the Emperor’s feet.
The Emperor said, “Every time I bring up that phrase, you react like this. But what’s there to be afraid of? What was Zhang Rongbei, really? A top scholar? A Grand Canal Governor? Those were matters of the previous reign. After the Yuzhou dam collapse, he was nothing but a coward who threw himself into the river with his wife out of fear of punishment. He left behind a son and daughter to beg in the streets of Yuzhou.”
Staring at the Emperor’s leather boots, Xu Songnian quietly closed his eyes.
The Emperor continued, “The girl was already grown, but frail. The boy couldn’t even speak properly at the time. You became the Zhang family’s live-in son-in-law. You gained none of their glory and only inherited their disaster. If you hadn’t entered my princely estate to serve me and support those two children, they would have starved to death in Yuzhou long ago.”
“Then Your Majesty is the benefactor of the Zhang siblings.”
“Is that how Zhang Yao sees it?”
“If he didn’t, then the former Crown Prince’s remaining faction could never have been wiped out over these past ten years.”
“Heh.”
The Emperor sneered.
“Have they really all been wiped out?”
Hearing the question, Xu Songnian’s fingers unconsciously tightened.
The Emperor’s voice pressed down from above.
“I’ve always felt that his service to me is inferior to yours.”
As those words fell, the water on the brazier finally began to boil.
The Emperor set down the millet stalk. The white jade birds suddenly fluttered wildly in their cages.
Xu Songnian hurriedly said, “Please calm your anger, Your Majesty.”
The Emperor remained silent for a moment before speaking quietly.
“I’m not angry. Brew the tea.”
Only then did Xu Songnian rise and begin preparing the tea.
The Emperor’s voice sounded again.
“Xu Songnian…”
“This servant is here.”
“I’ve been thinking. Over these past years, every woman I’ve offered Zhang Yao, he has refused.”
Xu Songnian placed the tea leaves into the cup.
“He’s always had that stubborn and peculiar temperament.”
“But the person I wanted dead, he insisted on touching.”
After saying this, the Emperor let out another cold laugh.
Xu Songnian steadied his hand and poured the water.
“Didn’t he already admit his mistake to Your Majesty? Though Your Majesty spared him exile three thousand li away, you still punished him with ten days in the cangue outside Shenwu Gate. He understands that Your Majesty rules with both kindness and authority. As for that death-row prisoner, didn’t Your Majesty ultimately pardon her as well?”
“That was because you asked me to.”
Xu Songnian did not deny it.
“Yes.”
The Emperor continued, “I was thinking that in all these years, you’ve never asked me for anything. The first time you did, no matter what, I didn’t want to deny you.”
Xu Songnian carried the tea to the Emperor.
“This servant thanks Your Majesty for your grace.”
The Emperor accepted the cup.
“No one else is here today, so I’ll ask you directly. Why did you plead for Yu Lin?”
Xu Songnian immediately knelt again.
“This servant dares not deceive Your Majesty. The Directorate of Ceremonial belongs to Your Majesty. It is not easy to cultivate people capable of serving Your Majesty. They made mistakes and were caught by the Chief Censor. Unlike Zhang Yao, they cannot simply be beaten or wear a cangue for ten days and recover after some rest. One falls, then another falls. This servant is getting old. My legs are already like this. Without their support, how can I continue serving Your Majesty? I truly had no choice. I only resent their failure to meet expectations…”
The Emperor smiled.
“I understand. We’ll stop there. You don’t need to answer anything further.”
Xu Songnian kowtowed.
“Thank you for Your Majesty’s understanding.”
The Emperor set down his teacup and rose to his feet.
“I dislike arrogant women. But compared to slicing one apart while she’s still alive, granting her slave status, binding her hands and feet, and letting her cling to life in Liangjing seems rather good. Am I a benevolent ruler?”
Though it was phrased as a question, no one answered.
The Emperor turned back and called Xu Songnian’s name.
“Am I not, Xu Songnian?”
Xu Songnian hurriedly raised his head.
“Yes. Your Majesty is benevolent and righteous.”
The Emperor looked toward the glazed palace roof.
“Actually, Yu Lin’s temperament reminds me of an old acquaintance.”
It was obvious that the Emperor wanted Xu Songnian to guess whom he meant.
Xu Songnian had indeed guessed correctly, but he dared not say it aloud.
“A criminal woman is hardly worthy of comparison with one of Your Majesty’s old acquaintances.”
The Emperor patted Xu Songnian’s arm.
“Doesn’t she resemble Consort Zhao?”
At the mention of “Consort Zhao,” Xu Songnian immediately lowered his head again.
The Emperor said, “You don’t need to hide your face. You’ve followed me for so many years. Your affairs are no secret to me, and you know all of mine. If I wanted to silence you, I would have done so long ago. She was a strong-willed woman as well. After she committed her mistakes, I wanted to kill her, yet couldn’t bear to do it. Who would have thought she’d lose her mind and drown herself in the Grand Canal…”
He paused.
“Even now, I still remember the day she died. Her nephew, Zhao Heming, cried so bitterly. Thinking of it now, I still hate her. I hate her for taking my…”
The Emperor sighed and did not continue.
“Get up. Send a bowl of the tea you brewed to Zhang Yao. Tell him it is a reward from me.”
Past noon, the sun began to drift westward, yet the crowd gathered before Shenwu Gate only grew larger.
The weather was chilly, and the wind in the city was strong. People instinctively wrapped their clothes tighter around themselves.
A eunuch attendant from the Directorate of Ceremonial emerged from inside Shenwu Gate.
With some difficulty, Zhang Yao turned his head to glance at the man. The eunuch did not approach him. Instead, he exchanged a few words with the Imperial Guards watching over Zhang Yao and handed them a bowl of water.
Not long afterward, one of the guards carried the bowl over.
“A gift from His Majesty. Commander Zhang should drink it.”
“Yes. Zhang Yao thanks His Majesty for his grace.”
He bit the edge of the bowl and tilted his head back, draining it in one gulp. Then, using the hands trapped within the cangue, he barely managed to steady the bowl before turning toward the attendant standing nearby.
“You. Come here. Take the bowl away.”
The eunuch glanced at the guard. Seeing no objection, he stepped forward and accepted the bowl.
Taking the opportunity, Zhang Yao asked, “Where is your Steward Du?”
The attendant lowered his voice.
“Steward Du received several blows from the Chief Steward and is currently recovering…”
“Pass a message to him for me.”
“Please speak, Commander.”
“Tell him that once he can get out of bed, he should go to the offices of the Northern Pacification Bureau and check on Zhang…”
Before he could finish speaking, a commotion erupted in the crowd.
Then Du Lingruo’s voice reached Zhang Yao’s ears.
“Sister Min, don’t be angry with Brother Yao. Listen to my explanation… Ah, my back…”
Zhang Yao turned his head and saw Zhang Min desperately shoving through the crowd toward the front.
Du Lingruo followed behind her, pale-faced and trying to pull her back. Unfortunately, he was injured himself. The pressure of the crowd left him unable to move freely. All he could do was repeatedly call out to Zhang Min, hoping she would turn around.
But Zhang Min paid him no attention.
She squeezed her way to the front of the Imperial Guards and grabbed the barrier staff in a guard’s hands.
“Let me through.”
“Miss, we are under orders to guard this criminal being displayed publicly. We cannot…”
“That criminal is my younger brother.”
The moment those words left her mouth, the surrounding crowd exploded into chatter.
“The Northern Pacification Bureau Commander’s sister? Then doesn’t that mean…”
“Shh, stop talking.”
“What’s there to hide? Everyone in Liangjing knows it. The Northern Pacification Bureau Commander’s sister was Chief Steward Xu’s wife in the past.”
Listening to the whispers around her, Zhang Min said nothing.
She continued staring at the guards.
“Let me through. I have something to ask him.”
“Well…”
The guards hesitated and looked back toward their commanding officer.
At last Du Lingruo managed to squeeze to Zhang Min’s side. He grabbed her sleeve.
“Sister Min, come back with me first. Brother Yao actually… Ah, just come back and I’ll explain everything slowly.”
Zhang Min desperately tried to push through the guards.
Afraid they might accidentally hurt her, Du Lingruo immediately shouted, “Don’t be fools! If Miss Min gets injured, be careful that Chief Steward Xu doesn’t skin you alive!”
The guards had already been wary because she was Zhang Yao’s sister. After hearing Du Lingruo’s words, they became even more reluctant to stop her.
In the end, they simply pretended to be pushed aside and retreated a few steps.
Gathering up her skirts, Zhang Min ran to Zhang Yao.
Her face had already turned deathly pale.
Pressing a hand to her chest, she coughed several times before finally looking up at him.
The moment Zhang Yao saw her condition, he knew her illness had worsened again.
He hurriedly said, “It’s good that you came. I was just about to tell you—I asked Yang Zhaoyue to…”
Smack!
Before he could finish speaking, he was slapped.
The blow was not powerful, but for someone as frail as her, it had already taken all her strength.
Zhang Yao’s head turned to one side.
He stopped speaking and lowered his head.
“I’m sorry.”
“The night you told me you had something to do outside… was it this?”
Zhang Yao lowered his head in silence.
He did not deny it.
“Why?!”
Zhang Min raised her voice.
“Zhang Yao, you weren’t like this before!”
At last she had stopped calling him by his childhood nickname.
Yet Zhang Yao had no answer.
He could only close his eyes and repeat the same words.
“I’m sorry.”
Tears filled Zhang Min’s eyes as she looked at him.
“You haven’t wronged me. You’ve wronged that girl. Because of you, whether she lives or dies, people will trample her into the mud. You’ll stand here in the cangue for ten days, and once it’s removed, you’ll go right back to being the mighty Commander of the Northern Pacification Bureau. But what about her?”
Zhang Yao drew a deep breath.
Still, the only response he could offer was:
“I’m sorry.”
Pressing her lips together, Zhang Min held back her emotions for a long while before speaking his name again.
“Zhang Yao.”
With his head lowered, Zhang Yao softened his voice as much as possible.
“Go ahead.”
“Sell every coffin you own.”
“Zhang Min…”
“Sell them!”
“…”
Wiping away her tears, Zhang Min said, “Bring her back.”
“I…”
“When you bring her back, you’re not allowed to see her, and you’re absolutely not allowed to touch her! Go sleep in your Northern Pacification Bureau offices!”
Zhang Yao wanted to tell her that his coffins were actually very expensive. Selling just one of them could buy back ten Yu Lins.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t get a single word in.
Zhang Min pressed her lips tightly together.
Her shoulders trembled with anger.
Zhang Yao lowered the heavy cangue on his shoulders to avoid accidentally hurting her, then forced himself to admit his mistake.
“I was wrong.”
Zhang Min said nothing.
Zhang Yao sighed helplessly.
“This isn’t a place you should stay. Now that you’ve vented your anger, go home. As for my coffins, sell them however you like. Once my cangue sentence ends, I’ll go see the government broker. You can go pick her up, and I’ll go sleep at the Bureau.”