Chapter 25

That spring marked the beginning of a season filled with unrest.

The Emperor had completed a new round of concubine selection and chosen several stunning beauties. Each one possessed grace and allure, but two in particular stood out among them. One was the daughter of a minor official from the borderlands, fiery and bold. The other was a merchant’s daughter from Jinling, her figure cold and elegant like snow.

These two women were not only stunning in appearance but also unmatched in bed. Their skills were varied and wild, keeping the Emperor wrapped in lust every night, too distracted to attend court in the mornings.

In their company, he felt his youth return. He recovered the pride of a man in his prime. He doted on them endlessly, taking them with him wherever he went. If it were permitted to bring concubines into court, he would have held one in each arm.

This indulgence lasted for more than half a year.

One night, during a threesome, the sounds of sex rang out for most of the night. The palace staff had long grown used to it. They were yawning, half-dozing through their duties, when suddenly a woman’s scream pierced the air from the inner hall.

The guards rushed inside. They found the two women pale with terror, clinging to each other. The Emperor lay completely naked, his body half-hanging off the couch. His face had turned purple, and foam clung to his lips.

The head guard stepped forward, hand trembling as he checked for breath. As soon as his fingers reached the Emperor’s nose, his expression changed. He dropped to his knees with a heavy thud.

“His Majesty… is dead.”

Behind him, all present turned pale. One after another, they fell to their knees in stunned silence.

—

That afternoon, Lian Ai was seated by the window, playing the qin.

A gray-black carrier pigeon suddenly flew across the sky. The sight disrupted his concentration, and before he realized it, the string snapped, cutting his fingertip.

He paid no attention to the bleeding wound. His eyes stayed fixed on the bird as it disappeared into Helian Qiufeng’s courtyard.

His lips pressed together, his back slowly relaxing, though his expression remained tense and uneasy.

Moments later, a servant came sprinting into Lian Ai’s courtyard. Halfway through, he nearly collapsed, stopping to brace his hands against his knees as he gasped for breath.

Lian Ai watched him with alarm and nearly rose from his seat.

“The Emperor… the Emperor has died. The entire nation mourns. There will be three months of mourning!”

—

The Emperor had died of excessive exertion during intercourse. The manner of death was far too disgraceful to speak of openly. To the public, it was said he had “fallen gravely ill from overwork and concern for state affairs.”

The Empress Dowager had built her position entirely on her only son. When she first heard of his death, she collapsed on the spot. By the time she regained consciousness, one side of her body had gone numb. She had suffered a stroke.

The Emperor had only one son, not yet ten years old. And just like that, the throne landed on the boy’s head. One day, he had been in the palace playing with crickets. The next, he was being escorted to the imperial throne. His frail body looked small and helpless against the vast dragon seat. On his left stood Prince Yong, Gan Yan. On his right stood the young general, Bu Nian.

The new Emperor’s first edict granted Prince Yong the title of Prince Regent, and Bu Nian was named Grand General, entrusted with guarding Great Qi and securing its peace.

—

A middle-aged noblewoman carried a bowl of fragrant tonic and knocked gently on the half-open door of the study. Lian Ai looked up from his writing and, seeing who it was, quickly set down his fine-tipped brush.

“Mother…” Though he had been calling her that for over half a year, it still felt unfamiliar. Family was something foreign to him, and when they first acknowledged one another, he hadn’t known how to react.

Lady Helian reached out to touch his hair, then wiped away a smudge of ink from his cheek with a gentle smile.

“Diligence is a good habit, but you mustn’t wear yourself out. I prepared this tonic for you. Eat first, then continue your calligraphy.”

Lian Ai nodded shyly. “Thank you, mother.”

—

After the burial of the late Emperor, Prime Minister Lu resigned from his post and returned to his hometown. With no immediate successor for the chancellorship, he recommended the Minister of Personnel to act in his place.

The Minister of Personnel was already past sixty. Whether his deafness and poor eyesight were genuine or simply an excuse to avoid conflict, no one could say. He remained neutral in the struggle between Prince Yong and the Grand General, offering kind words to both. When matters grew tense, he would claim to have fallen asleep and missed the debate. In court, he shifted with the winds, never standing firm on either side.

By the time autumn arrived, the new regime had finally stabilized.

From a tripartite balance of power, the court had become a battlefield between two great forces. In the end, the Empress Dowager had misplayed her hand.

—

Zuo Lingyu balanced an apple on his head and slowly stepped backward until his back touched the straw target behind him.

Once he was in place, he called out loudly, “Is this distance all right?”

The young man standing ahead was dressed in a riding and archery outfit, his posture striking and sharp. He held a crossbow in his right hand, aiming through the sight at the apple on Zuo Lingyu’s head. He gave a light laugh. “It’s fine.”

Zuo Lingyu looked uneasy. “Lian.. Helian Ai, are you sure about this? Don’t shoot wrong!”

The young man pressed his lips together at the sound of his name and quietly replied, “I can do it.” As though reassuring himself.

Time passed slowly. Then, as the wind shifted, the young man adjusted, waited, and pulled the trigger.

The bolt shot out with a sharp twang, slicing through the apple atop Zuo Lingyu’s head in the blink of an eye.

Zuo Lingyu had shut his eyes tight. When he opened them, he reached up and touched the top of his head, finding it sticky with juice. A broad grin spread across his face as he called out, “You hit it! A hundred paces, clean through the apple!”

The young man lowered the heavy crossbow. A rare smile broke across his face, clear and without restraint.

—

Inside the dim palace hall, everything was silent and cold. White mourning streamers still hung in the corners. Candles flickered on tall stands, the festive red candles of the past now all replaced by white.

A pair of black boots stepped past the threshold and onto the polished stone tiles. They moved slowly, headed toward the lavish phoenix couch at the far end.

Kneeling on either side of the couch were two beautiful women in mourning robes. Upon seeing the man behind the boots, both bowed deeply with solemn respect.

“Greetings, Grand General.”

Bu Nian came to a stop in front of them, his voice calm and clear. “You did well.”

The frail old woman on the couch turned to glare at him, her eyes filled with hatred. Her only movable arm trembled as she lifted it, but her mouth, twisted from the stroke, could no longer form words. What came out were only broken sounds.

Bu Nian stood there, watching her coldly. Only when her arm dropped, her breath coming in labored gasps like a sick dog, did a faint smile appear on his face, as if he were deeply satisfied.

“The Empress Dowager ought to rest. Otherwise, her life might not last much longer.”

The old woman’s sunken eyes locked onto him, filled with rage. Her breathing grew rough and labored.

Bu Nian looked at the pitiful figure before him, frail as a candle in the wind. The scorn in his eyes deepened. With his hands behind his back, he stepped closer, leaned down, and spoke in a low voice.

“I had hoped you would live long enough to watch me ascend the throne.”

The old woman trembled with rage, her entire body twisted with hatred. Yet she was helpless. No matter how much she wished to tear the man before her apart, she could do nothing.

Bu Nian straightened and said to the two women beside the bed, “Take good care of the Empress Dowager. Do not let her grow too agitated.”

Both lowered their eyes and replied softly, “Yes.”

Bu Nian cast one final glance at the withered figure lying on the couch. There was no trace of vengeance in his eyes, no pleasure from settling old scores, only cold indifference. Without another word, he turned and walked away, vanishing into the shadowed silence of the palace that had become her prison.

—

The court had become a battlefield between the Prince Regent and the Grand General. Gan Yan had the support of the martial world. Though informal, such backing held weight. The voice of the martial world, in some sense, reflected public sentiment. And the foundation of the kingdom rested with the people. Their favor could not be dismissed.

Bu Nian held the military seal and absolute command over the army. The generals beneath him had followed his father in the past and now followed him without question. Their loyalty had been tempered through blood and fire. Any movement on his part would shake the entire court.

The young emperor was nothing more than a puppet. The realm had become a game board, the throne its prize. At this point, it no longer depended on who played the game better, but on who would make the first mistake.

—

Lian Ai sat beneath the grape trellis, enjoying the shade with a book in his hands.

Over the past year, he had learned many characters. He could now read most common texts easily, though more complex passages still required help.

The Helian family had treated him kindly. They offered only warmth, never reproach. No one ever brought up the past, as if afraid to remind him of old wounds.

Slowly, he had come to accept them as his own family. A gentle father, a loving mother, an affectionate elder brother. There was a time when he wouldn’t have dared to dream of such a life. Now that it had become real, he often found himself dazed, wondering if it was all just a dream from which he had yet to wake.

“Xiao Ai, Xiao Ai! Come see what I just got!” Zuo Lingyu came running noisily into Lian Ai’s courtyard.

The Zuo and Helian families had been close for generations. Though their ancestral ties by marriage were so distant they could no longer be traced, the bond between them remained. Ever since Zuo Lingyu had befriended Lian Ai, he had practically moved into the Helian estate, rarely going home.

As he often said himself, there was no one waiting for him at home. His father, Zuo Luan was always busy with affairs and rarely around. His sister now lived in the capital full-time, caught up in preparations for her wedding to the Prince Regent, and had no time for him either.

“You wasted money again?” Lian Ai set his book down and saw Zuo Lingyu clutching a small blue-and-white porcelain box. He immediately guessed that he had gone to the market to buy another cricket.

Among the nobility, cricket fighting was a popular pastime. The higher their rank, the more they treated it as a mark of taste. A strong cricket could sell for hundreds, sometimes even thousands, of taels.

Zuo Lingyu fully lived up to his reputation as a pampered young master. Every year, at the end of summer when crickets were most active, he would linger at the markets day after day, spending lavishly to acquire the fiercest fighters, all to win the seasonal cricket battles.

“Wasted? This isn’t wasted. I’ll earn it back in the tournaments.” Zuo Lingyu looked proud of himself. “Let me show you my General!”

He lifted the lid of the porcelain box. Inside, a grotesque black cricket crouched. Lian Ai quickly turned his gaze away, but still forced himself to offer some praise.

“Not bad.”

Zuo Lingyu was clearly pleased. He sat down beside him with a grin, full of excitement.

“My General is sure to beat every last one of them. Look how dark it is. Look at those legs…”

Lian Ai found it funny but said nothing. He didn’t want to ruin the moment, so he simply listened.

After rambling on for a while without response, Zuo Lingyu lost steam and changed the subject.

“Come with me to the capital next month.”

“The capital?” Lian Ai stiffened. That name stirred both longing and dread.

He had spent the first decade of his life in that bustling city. Most of those memories were bitter, hardly worth remembering. The few that were sweet had long been buried, dulled by the years and the shame with which he had left it behind.

Zuo Lingyu noticed his hesitation and frowned. “It’s my sister’s wedding. Don’t tell me you’re not going.”

His eyes widened, the corners slightly lifted in challenge, as if daring him to refuse.

“Your father and senior brother will be there, won’t they? I’d rather stay home and keep mother company.” Lian Ai turned his gaze away. He truly didn’t want to go.

Zuo Lingxue was originally meant to marry into the Prince Yong’s household in early spring. But the Emperor’s sudden death had disrupted the plans, and the wedding was postponed until autumn.

Zuo Lingyu pouted, visibly displeased. “I wanted to go with you. What’s the point of traveling with my father and senior brother? They’re far too serious.”

Lian Ai thought to himself that Zuo Lingyu wasn’t exactly the model of restraint either.

Though impulsive, Zuo Lingyu was never malicious. He was easy to get along with, and Lian Ai had always considered him a true friend.

Just as he was about to offer a few words to smooth things over, Zuo Lingyu’s mood turned again. His frown vanished, replaced by a wide grin.

“Oh right. I heard something at the market today that was far too amusing. Let me tell you.”

Lian Ai adjusted his seat. “Go on.”

Zuo Lingyu stood tall like a storyteller, raised two fingers, and began. “The court is now divided into two factions. One is led by the Prince Regent, Gan Yan. That’s my future brother-in-law. The other is led by the Grand General, Bu Nian. The two are constantly competing, whether over major policies or the smallest affairs. Just recently, the regional governor of Zhongzhou passed away. With the post suddenly vacant, they clashed again.”

Among the nine provinces of Great Qi, a regional governor’s seat carried real weight. Gaining control of one meant gaining a significant advantage, and both sides knew it. Neither the Prince Regent nor the Grand General was willing to back down.

“No matter who they recommended, neither of them could convince the other,” Zuo Lingyu said, his brows lifted, face bright with amusement. “So they turned to the acting Prime Minister for a decision. But he’s only a stand-in. He didn’t want to offend either side, so he came up with something ridiculous. You’ll never guess.”

“What was it?” Lian Ai asked, uneasy.

He didn’t know why, but something about this made his chest tighten. A faint sense of dread was creeping in, as though something bad was about to happen.

“Two fast horses,” Zuo Lingyu said, clearly enjoying the story. “Each of them picked a man. The two riders left the capital at the same time. Whoever reaches Zhongzhou first gets the seat.”

He tapped his fingers together, pretending to calculate. “Judging by the timing, they should be arriving right about now.”

The Prince Regent had secured support from many martial factions. Chief among them was his future wife’s family. The Helian family, being related to the Zuo household by marriage, naturally stood among his most loyal allies.

This time, the contested seat happened to be Zhongzhou’s governorship. The Helian family was based there. It was only expected they would support the Prince Regent’s bid.

Lian Ai stood abruptly, his expression tight. The sudden movement startled Zuo Lingyu.

“What’s wrong, Xiao Ai?”

Lian Ai’s lashes trembled. His thoughts were in turmoil. “I…”

Before he could finish, a maid rushed in. Her voice was urgent as she turned to him.

“Second Young Master, something’s happened. Old Master was thrown from his horse and badly injured. He’s just been brought home. Madam asks you to come at once.”

Lian Ai turned pale. He ran straight for the gate without even glancing back at Zuo Lingyu.

The Old Master had been injured in the leg. When Lian Ai arrived, he found him lying on the bed, pale and unconscious. The wound had already been treated, but he hadn’t woken yet.

Lady Helian sat at the bedside, eyes swollen with tears. She kept wiping her face with a handkerchief, whispering over and over, “How could he be so careless…” Watching her like this made Lian Ai’s heart ache.

She had always been gentle by nature, sheltered by her husband and son, never forced to face harsh realities. But Lian Ai was different.

“Elder brother ,” he called quietly.

Helian Qiufeng had returned alongside their father. He was still in his traveling clothes, the dust of the road clinging to his sleeves. His expression was drawn, and fatigue showed clearly on his face.

Lian Ai hadn’t seen them for the past few days and had assumed, as usual, that they had been busy with business matters. Now it was clear they had been handling affairs related to the governorship.

“What is it?” Helian Qiufeng asked. His brows were furrowed, but his tone remained gentle.

“Was Father really injured from falling off a horse?” Lian Ai spoke directly, holding nothing back.

At the question, Helian Qiufeng’s face changed. “You shouldn’t concern yourself with this.”

Since taking the name Helian Ai, this was the first time Lian Ai had seen him shut the door so firmly. Not only was he forbidden from stepping in, he wasn’t even allowed to ask.

But he wouldn’t give up so easily. “Who does the new Zhongzhou governor answer to?” he pressed. “What did you all do?”

Helian Qiufeng’s expression turned cold. He looked ready to reprimand him, but when he met Lian Ai’s eyes, full of unease, he hesitated. A moment passed, then he let out a long, heavy sigh.

There was a trace of helplessness in his voice. “Little brother, you only need to live your life well. The rest isn’t something you should worry about.” He patted Lian Ai gently on the crown of his head, then turned and went back into the room to comfort their mother.

Lian Ai stood there in silence. Slowly, his hands clenched into fists.

Helian Qiufeng hadn’t answered directly, but everything he needed to say had already been revealed through his manner and silence.

The next day, Zuo Lingyu planned to visit the market. Lian Ai said he wanted to tag along, claiming he wanted to look around. Midway, however, he left Zuo Lingyu’s side and made his way alone to the Governor’s Residence.

A red silk ribbon still hung over the estate’s entrance, and firecracker remnants were scattered across the ground. Even now, a crowd lingered near the gate to watch the aftermath of the celebration.

“Congratulations to Lord Zhao on his appointment as the new governor! Congratulations to Lord Zhao!”

People were still offering their blessings, and a middle-aged steward at the door handed out copper coins one by one as celebratory tokens.

“Came close, I heard,” someone said. “They ran into mountain bandits just before reaching Zhongzhou. Luckily, Lord Zhao had guards sent by the General himself. Got through it without a scratch.”

Lian Ai looked over and saw two street vendors by the gate exchanging gossip. He said nothing, just listened quietly.

“Mountain bandits? Who can say for sure? How many years has it been since Zhongzhou had bandits? The Prince Regent’s man never ran into trouble, yet the General’s man did? That’s a little too convenient, isn’t it?”

“Careful, brother! Don’t say that so loudly. You never know who might be listening.”

Lian Ai walked away as if nothing were wrong. After putting some distance between himself and the crowd, he turned into a quiet alley, leaned back against the cold brick wall, and slowly slid to the ground.

The Helian family had been drawn into court struggles after all. His brother had told him not to worry, but how could he possibly turn a blind eye?

To let those he cared about take risks on his behalf while he lived in comfort, and passing his days in thoughtless peace like some fool wasn’t the life he wanted. That wasn’t who he was.

He bit at his fingernail, brows deeply furrowed. To outsiders, he looked like a well-dressed young noble sitting blankly in a backstreet corner. Only he knew what a heavy decision he was trying to make, and how bitterly his thoughts churned.

Too many people had made decisions for him throughout his life. And now, when the choice finally fell to him, all he felt was confusion. There was safety in having no say in the future. But he was no longer the old Lian Ai. He couldn’t keep living by other people’s choices.

A long while later, he finally lifted his head from the shadows of the alley. The confusion in his eyes had faded completely. What remained was a steady and unshakable resolve.

—

Half a month later, Lian Ai traveled with Zuo Lingyu to the capital.

Zuo Lingyu rode slightly ahead, glancing back over his shoulder with a grin. “I thought you weren’t coming with me.”

Lian Ai followed on horseback, a cloth bundle nearly the length of an arm tied behind him. “Father injured his leg and couldn’t attend your sister’s wedding. I’m going in his place.”

He still bore a long, wide scar across his forehead. At home, he had never bothered to cover it, letting it show freely. Before he left, Lady Helian had insisted on tying a narrow red headband across his brow. It was inlaid with shell and held a small pearl that shimmered at its center.

“Now,” she had said, smiling, “my Xiao Ai will be the most handsome young man at the ceremony.”

Thinking back to what she had said while helping him fasten the headband, Lian Ai gently touched his forehead. A quiet, sheepish smile appeared on his lips.

The two of them arrived in the capital on horseback. Since Zuo Lingyu had insisted they should enjoy themselves before the ceremony, they had set out half a month early and arrived ahead of schedule. Whatever Zuo Lingyu had planned, he clearly hadn’t informed Zuo Lingxue. They went straight to an inn and rented the largest courtyard for themselves.

“Do you want to go to Mianhua Street?”

As soon as they had finished unpacking, Zuo Lingyu asked him.

Lian Ai froze. “What… are you going there for?”

Mianhua Street was exactly what the name implied. A street of lanterns and brothels that never slept. The brothel he once lived in was also located there.

“What else would people do there? Obviously to drink and enjoy the company of the girls.”

Zuo Lingyu must have planned this all along. It explained why he had insisted on traveling separately from Helian Qiufeng and why he had kept it quiet from Zuo Lingxue.

Lian Ai felt a headache coming on. “I…” He was about to say no.

But before he could refuse, Zuo Lingyu grabbed him by the wrist and began pulling him outside.

“Come on! I’ve never been there before. You have to take me, just to have a look!”

Lian Ai had no defense against his shameless coaxing and could only relent. “Fine…” But just as they were about to leave, something struck him and he stopped in his tracks. “Wait. Let me grab something.”

He shook off Zuo Lingyu’s hand and ran back inside, slinging the long bundle over his back once again.

“You’re bringing that thing with you to the brothel?” Zuo Lingyu gave him a strange look.

Lian Ai patted the knot at his chest. “Once you’re out in the open, you need to carry it with you at all times.”

Because out there, danger could appear at any moment.