Chapter 21

“Which one is Shen Ling?”

Shen Ling was bound hand and foot and tossed beneath some bushes. Opposite him, a youth who looked almost exactly like him was tied up just as tightly. The two stared at each other, both seeing fear in the other’s eyes.

“They look pretty much the same.” The man in black held a gleaming broadsword, gesturing back and forth between Shen Ling and the youth.

Seeing that things were going badly, the youth who had been leading the horse hurried to speak. “Don’t kill me! I’m only a stable hand. I don’t know anything! He’s Shen Ling, the apple of the Emperor’s eye!”

The black-clad assassin’s blade came to rest against Shen Ling’s neck. “Is what he says true?”

Shen Ling: “…”

Watching the blade draw closer, Shen Ling’s scalp prickled. He said nervously, “Good sir, stay calm! I am Shen Ling, yes, but I’m only a stand-in. His Majesty’s true love is Xie Zhen. Sirs, even if you take me hostage, it won’t do you any good.”

“Oh? No good?” The burly man swung his sword and cut down the youth beside him. Warm blood sprayed onto Shen Ling’s face, followed by the heavy thud of a body hitting the ground. Shen Ling froze for a moment, then heard the assassin say, “If you’re no use, then die.”

In the blink of an eye, Shen Ling blurted, “Wait!”

The blade paused. Shen Ling glanced at the edge hanging beside his throat and said earnestly, “I was joking just now. His Majesty loves me to death. He favors me every night without fail. He loves me so much it’s as if heaven and earth would collapse and the sun and moon lose their light. He’d even give his life for me!”

Seeing the man hesitate, Shen Ling stretched out his neck, revealing the kiss marks hidden beneath his collar. “There, see? The dragon’s mouth sucked those out. Proof of love. I’m His Majesty’s precious darling!”

The assassin took one look, spat, and muttered, “Damn rabbit.” Then he hoisted Shen Ling up and dragged him away.

The Hunting Grounds were in utter chaos. Bodies lay overturned everywhere, pierced by arrows or swords. Rain washed the blood across the ground, turning everything a wet red.

Uneasy, Shen Ling was shoved up the mountain. He deliberately fell twice, hoping to buy some time, but was simply hoisted over someone’s shoulder. Hard armor dug into his stomach. Surrounded by the smell of rust across the mountain, he felt like throwing up.

What should he do? What should he do?

These people were definitely desperate outlaws. Whether or not the emperor liked him, they could use him as a hostage, and either way, he was unlikely to escape with his life. Besides, would the emperor really save him? If they hung him over a cliff, Li Sui would probably just sneer and shoot him dead, given his personality.

How could he stay alive?

He had indeed learned a little self-defense from Zhuang Xinan, but against people trained for this, his half-baked skills were no different from struggling to his death.

And besides… Was this an assassination? A rebellion? Or a mutiny?

Shen Ling didn’t dare provoke the assassins. He kept quiet the whole way until they tossed him into a shabby tent. There he saw Ruan Zanxue sitting upright inside.

He was alone. Zhuang Xinan was nowhere to be seen, and Shen Ling’s heart jolted.

Mud and blood stained the Eldest Young Master of the Ruan Family’s plain robes, as though a cloud in the heavens had fallen into a mire. Yet his expression was not at all disheveled. He glanced at Shen Ling on the ground without a word, then looked away and spoke calmly. “Young Master He, is this your… bargaining chip?”

“Isn’t it enough?” A man strode in, reeking of blood. As he passed Shen Ling, he stopped and nudged Shen Ling’s face up with the toe of his boot, taking a look. He clicked his tongue. “So this is all there is to those sultry eyes and seductive ways?”

Shen Ling screamed inwardly. So unhygienic! So unhygienic!!!

Fortunately, the boot moved away soon enough. The man seemed more interested in Ruan Zanxue. He crouched in front of him and said coldly, “Ruan Zanxue, does it not sadden you to share the emperor’s favor with someone like this?”

Ruan Zanxue: “You’re… more pathetic.”

The man sneered, as if the conversation had opened the floodgates. He began to ramble. “My He clan devoted ourselves heart and soul to Great Yu. My father was a senior yuanlao¹Translator’s Note: Yuanlao (元老) Yuanlao refers to a senior statesman or respected elder official who has served the government for many years and earned considerable experience and authority. In imperial China, the term could describe a veteran court official who had served successive emperors and played an important role in governing the realm. who served three imperial reigns and helped him ascend the throne, and he forced my father to drink poison and kill himself. My elder brother was a genius, upright and honorable, yet he was falsely accused and murdered. Now my He clan has been driven to the brink, with no choice but to risk everything.”

Listening beside him, Shen Ling’s scalp went numb. This is it, this is it, this is it. I’m dead. With that much hatred, there’s no way out.

The man’s eyes were sinister. “I hear you’re the two people he loves most in the palace. When your lives are hanging by a thread, who do you think Li Sui will choose?”

Shen Ling: “…?” Seriously, dude, what’s wrong with you? You went to all this trouble to capture us just to see who Li Sui loves more?

Shen Ling pinched his palm, checking whether he was having a nightmare.

Ow. That hurts.

Could he have transmigrated into some ridiculous angst-filled romance instead of a proper historical setting?

He looked at Ruan Zanxue. At least he saw the same confusion in the other’s eyes.

But Second Young Master He clearly hadn’t noticed the flaw in his logic. He smiled with bloodthirsty madness and said slowly to Ruan Zanxue, “His Majesty kidnapped you and brought you into the palace, so he must have been sincere about you. If that evil consort hadn’t interfered, you and His Majesty would surely have ended up together by now.”

Ruan Zanxue: “…Did he?”

Evil Consort Shen Ling: “…” Unfair! How did I interfere? And I’ve always gotten along peacefully with everyone. I never compete for favor, okay!

“Doesn’t that make you angry?” Second Young Master He tapped Ruan Zanxue’s face with his scabbard. “The famous Ruan of old is now hidden away in the palace as that foolish ruler’s kept man, and even this bewitching creature has one over you. Your ideals and ambitions have all been reduced to nothing. Doesn’t that sadden you?”

Shen Ling: “…” How am I bewitching? Don’t praise one by putting the other down!

Shen Ling looked at Ruan Zanxue again. For a moment, the brows that were always so cool and indifferent flashed with a cold glint, like a blade drawn from its scabbard. He said icily, “You cannot discuss ice with a summer insect.”

Second Young Master He sneered, kicked Ruan Zanxue in the chest, and ground him into the ground underfoot. “Then wait and see. We’ll find out whom your emperor chooses.”

Ruan Zanxue lay on the ground, coughing up a mouthful of blood, and still couldn’t resist provoking him. “The He clan’s… fortunes… are spent. There was… a way out. Second Young Master He, you… brought ruin… on your whole clan.”

Shen Ling: “…” Dude, dude, stop! He’s going to stomp you to death!

“Do you think Li Sui would have spared the He clan if I hadn’t acted? He’s hated us for six years already.” He Yu smiled coldly. “It’s either the fish dies or the net is torn; if I die, I’m taking someone down with me. I’ll make Li Sui taste the anguish of having something he cherishes destroyed. As for you, let’s see whom that dog emperor chooses!”

“Ruan Zanxue, don’t let your sincere heart go to waste.”

Second Young Master He swept out, and the felt flap outside the tent was lowered. In an instant, only Shen Ling and Ruan Zanxue remained.

Once things were quiet, all they could hear was the patter of rain and Ruan Zanxue’s labored breathing.

Shen Ling shivered on the ground. After trembling for a while, he realized no one seemed to care about him. He wriggled over to Ruan Zanxue like a caterpillar and used the dim light to look him over.

Second Young Master He’s kick had been brutally forceful. Ruan Zanxue’s mouth was full of blood, and Shen Ling suspected his ribs were cracked. If a rib had pierced his lung, he would die with the medical care available here.

“Young Master Ruan?” Shen Ling nudged him with his body. “Are you okay? Can you breathe? Does your chest feel tight? Are you short of breath?”

When Ruan Zanxue didn’t answer, Shen Ling grew anxious.

They hadn’t had much to do with each other in the palace, but they were at least acquaintances. Shen Ling’s strength was limited, but he could still try to help.

Fortunately, Shen Ling had acted especially weak all the way here out of fear, so nobody had searched him. The small knife he’d brought for self-defense was tucked into his boot. He pulled it out, twisted around to cut through his ropes, then freed his hands and checked Ruan Zanxue’s pupils and ribs.

Thank goodness. His pupils were focused, his chest wasn’t caved in, and his ribs weren’t broken.

Then why had he coughed up so much blood?

Shen Ling was about to pry open Ruan Zanxue’s mouth when—

“Thank you.” Ruan Zanxue’s voice came slowly. “I’m… fine. I bit… my tongue.”

Shen Ling: “…”

He hurried to help Ruan Zanxue sit up and let him recover for a moment. Then he whispered, “Young Master Ruan, that man surnamed He is vicious. We can’t just wait for His Majesty to save us. We have to find a way out ourselves.”

Ruan Zanxue glanced at Shen Ling with some surprise. “What… do you suggest? I’m… listening.”

Shen Ling said, “I don’t know if they’d accept us if we defected to them now? We could say we hate Li Sui to the bone. You could say he forced you into the palace, and I could say he killed my father—no, my father was forced to die by Chancellor He. He already has a grudge against the Prince Jing’s household, so I could say I was forced into the palace too, and that my feelings for the emperor are false.”

After thinking it over, Shen Ling asked cautiously, “If His Majesty loves someone else, do you think he’d let us go?”

Ruan Zanxue: “Probably… not.”

“We can’t just sit here and wait to die. Otherwise, you can pretend to be dead, and I’ll say he kicked you somewhere vital and you’re on your last legs. He’ll want you alive if he’s going to use you to threaten His Majesty. We’ll trick that He guy into coming inside, and I know a little kung fu, so I can take him down and threaten his men. Then we can retreat down the mountain.” Shen Ling’s brain raced.

“Second Young Master He… knows martial arts.” Ruan Zanxue glanced at the palm-length dagger in Shen Ling’s hand. “You… can’t beat him.”

Shen Ling was aghast. “A civil official knows martial arts too?”

Ruan Zanxue patiently explained, “He used to be… a guard… before the emperor.”

Shen Ling racked his brains. “Or we could cut a hole in the tent and sneak out the back when no one’s looking? The rain is so loud it could cover our footsteps.”

“They have… patrols.”

“Then we could lure a patrol inside, knock him out, take his clothes, and sneak out disguised as one of them?”

“They won’t… come in… alone.”

Shen Ling held his head in both hands. “Are we really going to wait for him to hang us on a wall… No, there aren’t any walls or cliffs. Hang us from a tree?”

Ruan Zanxue looked at Shen Ling for a long time, then patted him gently and comforted him. “Don’t be afraid. Wait… and see.”

Shen Ling: “……….”

He sighed, wondering how Ruan Zanxue could be so calm. Maybe this was the bearing of a great aristocratic family. He sat back-to-back with Ruan Zanxue and gave up. “Young Master Ruan, actually, there’s something I’ve wanted to ask you for a long time.”

Ruan Zanxue: “What?”

Shen Ling: “Why do you speak in two- or three-word bursts? Is it to make yourself seem aloof and hard to approach?”

Ruan Zanxue fell silent for a long while, then said gloomily, “No. I have… a Speech Impediment. If I speak too… quickly, I end up… repeating words. L-like this.”

Shen Ling: “Ha ha!”

Ruan Zanxue stared at him: “…”

Shen Ling said cautiously, “…Sorry.” He felt terribly guilty.

Ruan Zanxue returned to his usual cool demeanor. “It’s… fine.”

After a while, Shen Ling asked again, “Were you really forced into the palace by His Majesty?”

Ruan Zanxue: “…I went… willingly.”

Shen Ling understood. “You like His Majesty? How did you meet? Were you childhood friends, or was it love at first sight?”

Ruan Zanxue: “No.”

Shen Ling: “Neither?”

Ruan Zanxue: “No. I don’t… want to talk. My tongue… hurts.”

Shen Ling: “…Sorry, sorry. I forgot. When I get nervous, I talk too much.”

Ruan Zanxue: “…It’s fine.”

Shen Ling: “Then—”

Ruan Zanxue hastily launched into a thunderous coughing fit.

Shen Ling immediately fell silent and helped pat his back. Ruan Zanxue secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

At last, nobody was talking. They looped their ropes around themselves to make it look as though they were still tied up, then leaned together to rest and regain their strength.

After an unknown length of time, Shen Ling heard the rain stop. Someone lifted the felt flap in one sharp motion, and several burly men came in and marched them both outside.

The cold wind brushed his face. Shen Ling looked up and saw birds scattering in fright, tree crowns swaying in the wind, and the sharp, metallic scent of blood in the air. Outside the tent stood a dense crowd of black-clad assassins. He was suddenly glad they hadn’t tried to escape. If they’d really scrambled out through the tent just now, they would have been hacked to pieces at once.

Ruan Zanxue really knew how to read the situation.

Shen Ling and Ruan Zanxue were soon forced onto a steep slope, with a sword laid across each of their necks. Down at the foot of the mountain, Shen Ling saw densely packed soldiers with long sabers and iron armor, like a black tide, grim and murderous. Li Sui sat astride his horse at the very front, clad in black robes.

He was still dressed as he had been during the hunt, his long hair bound beneath his crown. It showed off his handsome brows and eyes; without his hair hanging down to obscure them, he seemed less gloomy and more haughtily imperious, as if the world were his to command.

Shen Ling felt dazzled for a moment by His Majesty’s looks, then the pain of the blade cutting the skin at his throat brought him back to his senses.

“Li Sui, didn’t see this coming, did you? So what if you made arrangements in advance? Your two beloveds still fell into my hands.” Second Young Master He wedged himself between Shen Ling and Ruan Zanxue, gripping one face in each hand and forcing them to look up. “I won’t escape Yanling Mountain today, but since we were once sovereign and subject, I’ll give you a choice. Kneel and kowtow to me three times, and I’ll let one person go.”

“Choose one of the two. Who will Your Majesty pick?”

Through layer upon layer of trees, Shen Ling felt Li Sui’s gaze linger briefly on him before shifting to Ruan Zanxue.

His heart beat fast, and he felt a little uneasy.

Who would Li Sui choose in a situation like this? But this was basically the same as asking which parent you’d save if both fell into the water. It was a rotten question, and no matter who he chose, it would leave a bad taste in the other’s mouth.

And even if Li Sui made a choice, would the man really let anyone go? Whoever he chose would become Li Sui’s beloved, and Second Young Master He was out for revenge. He’d surely just cut that person down. Was he really going to let them go off and reunite?

Unless the man was an idiot who wanted to play matchmaker for the emperor.

Li Sui didn’t answer from afar. He merely raised a hand. The guards parted, and amid cries that grew clearer by the moment, a line of people were brought forward. Men and women, young and old—the entire He clan, whom Second Young Master He had moved away in advance, were forced to kneel in the mud. Not one was missing.

“How can this be…”

Shen Ling felt the Second Young Master He’s fingers tremble where they gripped his chin.

“Zhen will count to three,” Li Sui’s voice rang out across the battlefield. “If the culprit has not taken his own life by then, Zhen will leave not one of these people alive.”

Second Young Master He’s eyes bulged with fury. “You dare! If you touch a single member of my He clan, I’ll make sure the person you love has no place to be buried!”

“Go ahead and try. Zhen’s patience is limited.” Li Sui waved his hand. Blades flashed, and Shen Ling saw five or six heads tumble in a row. Blood sprayed forth, and the very air seemed veiled by a mist of red rain.

Shen Ling’s scalp went numb. Every hair on his body stood on end.

“Aaaaah!!” Second Young Master He roared. The shout made Shen Ling’s ears ache, but it was useless. The emperor worked quickly. A row of bodies was dragged away. They looked to be Second Young Master He’s uncles, and another group was soon brought forward. This time, there were young women among them.

Shen Ling felt Second Young Master He’s fingers tremble where they gripped his chin.

He understood at once.

His wife and children must be among those brought forward this time.

Second Young Master He’s breathing grew heavier. Shen Ling sensed murderous intent. If Li Sui gave the order, he and Ruan Zanxue would certainly die right here.

His chin hurt where it was being gripped, as if his bones were about to break. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ruan Zanxue. He remained as calm as ever, but the moment their eyes met, Shen Ling saw his pupils flick upward in a sudden, unnatural glance.

Shen Ling glanced up too, then his eyes widened. Someone had appeared in the dense branches above them, lying prone in the canopy. Dressed in black, he nearly blended into the trees. His eyes, like those of a ghostly cat, had narrowed pupils fixed intently on the people below.

Zhuang Xinan.

He hadn’t run? When had he climbed up there?

Shen Ling: “…”

The wind rose, carrying the sweet, coppery scent of blood up the slope. Women and children were crying below. Shen Ling saw them dragged away by soldiers. A little child with hair in a topknot cried for his parents, but the soldiers wrenched him away from them. The woman fell to her knees and was dragged off. A soldier raised his long saber, then brought it down—

“Stop! Stop! Stop, or I’ll kill them—”

He Yu’s eyes seemed about to split with rage, his teeth clenched tight. While all his attention was fixed on the scene below, Zhuang Xinan, who had been lying in wait in the treetops, suddenly struck. His long sword left its scabbard, its flash like a strip of white silk splitting the sky as it slashed straight for Second Young Master He’s neck!

Second Young Master He reacted fast. He turned at once and pulled Ruan Zanxue in front of him. Zhuang Xinan’s sword changed course, skimming Ruan Zanxue’s neck before striking Second Young Master He’s shoulder. Metal clashed against metal. The blade was stopped by soft armor, but the force of the blow still left him badly wounded.

Shen Ling felt the hand gripping his neck loosen. Then someone shoved him from behind. He looked back and saw Ruan Zanxue silently mouth: Run!

Then the white figure broke free of his ropes and seized Second Young Master He by the wrist. The two began to fight. 

You look so delicate and refined—how can you fight?!

Everything happened in the blink of an eye. Zhuang Xinan’s first strike missed, and he swung his sword again. At the same time, the surrounding assassins came to their senses and charged at him.

Shen Ling was the one everyone overlooked instead.

As if a drop of boiling water had fallen into a pot of oil, the entire hillside fell into chaos. Their ranks broke, and the cavalry at the foot of the mountain charged straight up the slope, their battle cries shaking the heavens.

Shen Ling knew he was nothing but dead weight now. He couldn’t afford to worry about anything else. He looked at the slope in front of him and jumped straight down. At that moment, he was incredibly glad he’d learned some Lightness Skill from Zhuang Xinan that summer. He was still a rank amateur, but he landed, rolled, slipped, fell, pushed himself upright, and ran several hundred meters in an instant.

An assassin rushed over from the side to intercept him. Shen Ling saw the gleaming blade and fled with his head in his hands. Just as it was about to strike him, an arrow whistled through the air and pierced the assassin’s throat.

Shen Ling looked up in alarm. Amid the chaos, Li Sui came riding toward him, the bowstring in his hand still trembling.

They were separated by countless figures, so far apart that Shen Ling shouldn’t have been able to hear him. Yet in that instant, he seemed to hear Li Sui’s voice. His Majesty was calling him over.

So he ran toward that figure without hesitation.

There were people everywhere and the sound of things slicing through the air on all sides. Guards and assassins hacked at each other. In this age of cold weapons, bodies were torn apart in battle—severed limbs, rolling heads, spraying blood. It was like hell. Shen Ling stared at the black-clad figure sitting astride a horse in the distance and felt a chill deep inside. But… but… everything was so chaotic, so terrifying. Apart from the emperor’s embrace, he had nowhere else to go.

Shen Ling ran toward Li Sui, step after step, going as fast as he could. He didn’t dare look back. He didn’t know how many assassins were coming after him, or whether Ruan Zanxue and Zhuang Xinan were still alive. He saw only the longbow in Li Sui’s hands, drawn into a full moon, arrows flying one after another and skimming past his temples like the sweep of an autumn wind, cold and deadly.

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty!!” Shen Ling shouted. He reached Li Sui, and The Son of Heaven bent down and yanked him into his arms, then drove his sword backward in a single thrust, running through the assassin who had followed.

Thump—

The sound of a corpse hitting the ground.

Thump—

His heart pounded wildly, the relief of surviving the ordeal flooding through him.

Shen Ling lay against the emperor. Warm blood trickled down the back of his neck. He was a complete mess, covered in blood, mud, and water. When he clutched at Li Sui, his fingers left a streak of mud on the emperor’s clean robes.

“You’re filthy.” Li Sui clicked his tongue softly.

Shen Ling’s fingers trembled, and he was about to let go when the emperor held his face in place. Li Sui first wiped it with his hand, then used his sleeve. Shen Ling caught that familiar fragrance again, cool and mysterious, like an orchid in a secluded valley.

After wiping away some of the mud and blood on Shen Ling’s face, Li Sui looked at his frightened eyes and bruised chin, then pulled him tightly into his arms. “You ran fast. My beloved consort is as quick as a startled rabbit.”

“Sit properly.”

Shen Ling quickly adjusted himself and sat securely on the horse. His back pressed against Li Sui’s chest, and he felt like they were two leaves stuck together.

Li Sui: “Were you badly frightened?”

Shen Ling was still gasping for breath and didn’t really want to answer.

“You’ve got a lot of scrapes. Does it hurt?” Li Sui had rescued him, and his tone was light. He looked at Shen Ling’s torn sleeve and the wounds on his arm, but instead of retreating, he took Shen Ling forward with him. “Come. I’ll take you to get revenge.”

Shen Ling: “…………” Wait, wait, wait?

The horse whinnied. A longbow was shoved into Shen Ling’s hands, and Li Sui leaned close to his ear. “Do you know how to use a bow?”

Shen Ling’s arms and even his fingers were trembling. He had no strength to resist, and could only hold it loosely. Li Sui took his shaking fingers and closed them around the bow. Shen Ling saw the guards fighting in the distance, and Zhuang Xinan, sword in hand, cutting through the crowd. The youth, around his own age, was like a ferocious tiger, driving the assassins back again and again.

Ruan Zanxue was being protected behind him, and his white robes had almost entirely lost their original color.

Behind the ranks, the He clan members huddled together like lambs. Shen Ling saw Second Young Master He’s wife clutching their child and weeping in anguish. Farther away, Second Young Master He, who had been so domineering earlier, had lost all his bravado. Fighting as he retreated, he led the assassins toward the mountain.

“Half those men are his family’s household troops, and some are martial artists from the jianghu.” Li Sui gripped Shen Ling’s hand and drew the bowstring taut again. “He Yu is straightforward and has many friends. Two years ago, he resigned and returned home, then traveled the jianghu and made the acquaintance of many martial artists. Several months ago, he began dismissing the servants in his household. He even secretly sent his wife and children to Jiangnan, intending to cross the sea by boat and go to Yingzhou. He stayed in the capital to ambush Zhen at the Hunting Grounds and avenge his father and elder brother.”

Shen Ling was terrified. “Your Majesty… you knew all along?”

Li Sui replied casually, “Of course.”

“I told you to stay in the palace, but you insisted on coming. Were you frightened today?” Li Sui guided Shen Ling’s aim toward the mass of people. “It’s fine. Whoever frightened you can pay with their life.”

The bowstring tightened. Li Sui leaned by Shen Ling’s ear and continued, “Can you kill someone?”

Shen Ling’s pupils contracted.

An arrow flew through the air and instantly pierced Second Young Master He in the back. He staggered a few steps, then took cover in the trees.

The assassins’ ranks had been thrown into disarray. Their leader was fleeing, and they had been a rabble to begin with. They soon lost the ability to resist and scattered in all directions.

The emperor’s guards regrouped and advanced. Li Sui rode forward beneath the gray clouds, his smile unsettling. “Tingting, hunting beasts isn’t much fun. Today, Zhen will take you hunting people.”

Ruan Zanxue was rescued. He was exhausted, so a guard carried him to the rear for treatment. Zhuang Xinan had just fought almost a hundred opponents single-handedly, and thanks to his excellent martial skills, he wasn’t badly hurt. He still had strength to spare. Shen Ling saw him mount up with a cold expression, take a longbow, and lead the way at the front.

Many of the black-clad assassins were badly wounded and sprawled on the ground. Those still breathing were finished off by the guards. Anyone who ran too slowly was shot down with arrows, then had their throat slit.

The killers who had hidden in the trees and rain were now like a herd of startled deer, fleeing for their lives. The emperor was the hunter, and he had no mercy at all.

It was a one-sided pursuit. Li Sui had made his arrangements long ago. The entire Hunting Grounds were a trap, waiting for this prey to come and meet its death.

He Yu snapped off the arrow shaft protruding from his back and fled up the mountain. The people around him dwindled one by one, and his face grew paler and paler. At last, a hidden arrow pierced his calf, and he could no longer run.

A household soldier came to support him, but he pushed the man away.

At the end of the road, there was only a fight to the death.

He stopped fleeing and halted halfway up the mountain.

Zhuang Xinan climbed up with his sword in hand. Looking at Second Young Master He, he said coldly, “He Yu, accept your fate. The back of the mountain is sealed off. You can’t escape.”

He Yu reached back and snapped off the arrowhead lodged in his back. He stared at Zhuang Xinan and mocked, “I never would have guessed. I thought you and Ruan had truly been dragged into the palace as hostage consorts. So the Ruan and Zhuang families had already sided with the emperor, huh?”

Zhuang Xinan: “Loyalty to the ruler and love of country are a subject’s duty. The He clan abused its power; this calamity was long overdue. Your attempt to rebel is an even graver crime. He Yu, you’re injured and no match for me. Surrender.”

“Ha. Loyalty to the ruler and love of country.” He Yu sneered. “What kind of man do you think you’re serving? Today, you act as the emperor’s vanguard and help destroy my He clan. One day, Li Sui will treat you the same way. When the hare dies, the hound is cooked. The emperor is cold and cruel. Follow him, and that blade will sooner or later fall on the neck of your Zhuang family too!”

Zhuang Xinan frowned. He was about to step forward and capture him when a hidden arrow shot from behind and pierced He Yu’s arm, passing straight through it. He gritted his teeth and tried to pull it out, but another arrow struck his hand.

Li Sui’s hand was steady as he held the bow—steady and strong. Even though Shen Ling was practically limp as a noodle, he kept holding him, drawing the bow, and shooting. He aimed at He Yu’s arm, calf, chest, stomach, eyes… Arrow after arrow, until He Yu cursed, screamed, and rolled on the ground…

Shen Ling kept struggling. He called out to His Majesty, to the emperor, said he was scared, but Li Sui seemed trapped in a nightmare. He didn’t budge. His hands were as unyielding as stone; Shen Ling couldn’t break free. He kept drawing the bow, releasing the string, drawing, releasing…

Only when Shen Ling managed to kiss his lips did Li Sui lower his eyes to look at the person in his arms.

Shen Ling used all his core strength to bounce up and down on the horse, rubbing against Li Sui. He couldn’t keep it up for long before settling back down again.

“Your Majesty, there are no arrows left.”

Li Sui looked down. The arrows in the quiver were all gone, and He Yu on the ground looked like a curled-up hedgehog, a mangled mess.

Shen Ling’s face was as white as paper. Li Sui gently touched the bruises on his chin and said tenderly, “There, it’s all right. Don’t be afraid. Zhen has avenged you.”

That hand was so cold, as if it had reached out from hell. Shen Ling looked at Li Sui, his stomach roiling. He took a deep breath, trying to hold it in, but after trying again and again, he turned his head and threw up.

Li Sui’s expression was utterly cold. Looking at Shen Ling in his wretched state, he asked quietly, “What? Do you think I’m cruel?”

Shen Ling threw up until the world seemed to spin. He didn’t dare look at the mess on the ground or at Li Sui’s face. He simply burrowed into the emperor’s arms, smearing all the dirt and blood on his clothes onto Li Sui’s robes. He closed his eyes and, panting, clung to Li Sui’s arm. “Your Majesty, I feel awful. Do you think I’m pregnant with your child?”

Li Sui: “…………”

After a long silence, Li Sui suddenly laughed. He reached out and rubbed Shen Ling’s lower abdomen, his expression faintly teasing. “It’s possible. But if it’s a false pregnancy, Zhen will have to punish you when we return to the palace.”

＊

The autumn hunt ended abruptly just like that.

Li Sui ordered the imperial carriage back to the palace. The He clan had rebelled and attempted to assassinate the emperor at the Hunting Grounds, but the attempt failed, and the rebels were killed in a volley of arrows.

At the same time, Lord Shen, who had recently distinguished himself in the Southwest, beat the Appeal Drum and knelt outside the great hall for a full day and night. Holding up a blood-written petition, he listed the He clan’s crimes before the emperor: rebellion, corruption, forming cliques for private gain… twenty-three charges in all.

The entire court was shocked.

The emperor was benevolent. In consideration of Chancellor He, a three-reign elder yuanlao who had devoted himself wholeheartedly to the state—in short, a man with some service and suffering to his name—he spared the clan from extermination down to the ninth degree. He confiscated their property, executed the men, and exiled the women. As for Chancellor He, he was still given a grand funeral and sent to the Imperial Ancestral Temple for worship.

Everyone in the realm had to praise the emperor as a benevolent ruler, magnanimous and broad-minded.

Only the He clan, once a powerful and illustrious family, had been uprooted completely, with no chance of ever rising again.

The Empress Dowager made another scene. Unfortunately, the emperor issued an order, claiming he’d dreamed of the Former Emperor, who missed his worthy wife. Li Sui sent her to live at the imperial mausoleum, where she could recuperate, copy scriptures, and tend the lamps for the Former Emperor. She was not to leave unless necessary. If she did, he would have to send her down to meet the Former Emperor.

And so, things quieted down on the Empress Dowager’s side as well.

Loving mother, filial son, all harmonious and peaceful.

As for Shen Ling, he was scared half to death after returning to the palace. He started running a fever that very night and dreamed of nothing but corpses and hedgehogs. He could barely get a peaceful night’s sleep.

As it happened, he’d moved into Li Sui’s bedchamber by acting coy and clingy to avoid the Prince Jing’s Heir’s note. Now he’d truly moved into the Hall of the King of Hell. Once night fell, there was no way to escape.

At the autumn hunt, he’d claimed he was pregnant to lighten the mood. Everyone knew men couldn’t bear children, but Li Sui still deliberately summoned the imperial physician to take Shen Ling’s pulse and ask whether he was expecting.

The imperial physician, who was nearly seventy, examined Shen Ling for a long, long time before patiently explaining to the emperor that men could not become pregnant. Shen Ling had vomited because of the shock, and if His Majesty truly wanted an heir, there would have to be a union of yin and yang.

As for Shen Ling’s nightmares, a little herbal medicine should help.

So, Li Sui punished Shen Ling thoroughly. Every night, Shen Ling had to drink a cup of calming herbal tea before bed. It could knock him out completely, but it still didn’t save him from attending the emperor at night. The emperor continued to make love with Shen Ling every single night, without fail. Sometimes Shen Ling went to sleep early, sometimes late, and sometimes Li Sui woke him in the middle of the night.

At times like that, Shen Ling was always groggy and weak. He would lie sprawled on the Dragon Bed, moaning and grumbling, thinking that Li Sui might genuinely be ill and needed to see a doctor for both his physical and psychological problems.

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  Translator’s Note: Yuanlao (元老) Yuanlao refers to a senior statesman or respected elder official who has served the government for many years and earned considerable experience and authority. In imperial China, the term could describe a veteran court official who had served successive emperors and played an important role in governing the realm. ↩︎