Ying Jingjue’s eyes were red-rimmed. At the corner of the corridor, Little Zhizi desperately covered his mouth as he helplessly watched Lian Shenwei’s sword-bearing figure walk away.
Little Zhizi: “Your Highness must not act rashly! Right now the entire capital is…”
“Your Highness!”
Ying Jingjue suddenly broke free and stumbled running into Zichen Hall.
The temperature inside the hall had been scattered by the wind. The floor was covered with scattered rice paper. Ying Jingjue paid no attention to any of this—he rushed in three steps as if taking two, arriving before Emperor Jingcheng’s dragon bed.
Then he suddenly froze.
The person lying on the bed had long since ceased breathing.
Ying Jingjue knelt down in a daze, grasping Emperor Jingcheng’s hand that had already grown cold.
“Father Emperor.”
“Father Emperor.”
“…”
No one answered.
Ying Jingjue pressed his forehead against the back of Emperor Jingcheng’s hand. After a long while, a hoarse sound emerged from his throat: “Father.”
Little Zhizi knelt beside him, bowing deeply to the ground.
Ying Jingjue closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they were entirely bloodshot, and the last trace of childishness remaining in him suddenly dissipated.
Yet he appeared extremely calm.
The young heir apparent pronounced each word deliberately: “Lian Shenwei.”
Lian. Shen. Wei.
Speaking this name from his mouth seemed to carry the scent of blood.
***
Within half a day, the capital was in panic.
Lian Shenwei’s show of force was like truly attempting to usurp the throne and rebel. The various ministers trapped in the palace city were deeply anxious, almost all kneeling outside Chongtian Gate, demanding to see the emperor.
—If Lian Shenwei truly planned to sit on the throne himself, then they could only be considered ministers of the old regime.
What chance would they have of survival?
Often when dynasties changed, when ministers wept, they weren’t crying over the dynasty’s collapse, but over their own inevitably tragic fates.
Suddenly—
A heavy bell sound echoed through the palace.
Dong—!
Nine tolls.
The Son of Heaven had passed.
Crying suddenly erupted from various silent places in the palace.
The palace gates opened wide. Tian Nan appeared in armor, the Black Armored Guards entering the palace in formation after formation, their bodies full of murderous aura. Those with sharp eyes noticed that some of the Black Armored Guards’ blade tips were still stained with blood.
No one knew from where they had just returned.
“Distinguished officials.”
Tian Nan’s gaze swept around. The officials kneeling outside Chongtian Gate stood up. Someone forcibly asked: “His Majesty has passed, yet the Black Armored Guards burst into the palace—may we ask what the Regent Prince means by this?!”
Tian Nan produced a sheet of paper listing almost all of the First Prince’s supporters in the court. He read out the official positions and names of these people one by one, ordering them to step forward.
After some hesitation, an official stepped out.
With a first, there came a second, a third…
The Left Minister wasn’t one of the First Prince’s people. He asked: “What does the Regent Prince want with these officials?”
Tian Nan solemnly announced:
“To seize the throne, the First Prince previously attempted assassination during the Crown Prince’s southern inspection tour, and when the Crown Prince rushed back to the capital, carried out an ambush at Linfeng City—his intentions vicious. During His Majesty’s grave illness, he was even more disloyal and unfilial, secretly conspiring with his maternal clan, plotting to rebel and usurp the throne today.”
“To secure the imperial succession, the Regent Prince had no choice but to enter the palace. He has commanded the Black Armored Guards to execute the First Prince’s maternal clan and slay those in the First Prince’s residence who participated in the rebellion. The First Prince is temporarily detained in his residence, to be dealt with when the new emperor ascends the throne.”
As soon as Tian Nan finished speaking, the court officials of the First Prince’s faction immediately collapsed to the ground.
How could those who chose the wrong side have a good outcome?
Tian Nan waved his hand, and the Black Armored Guards immediately stepped forward to restrain and lead these people away.
Ye Mingqin raised her head and asked calmly: “May I ask, where are these officials being taken?”
With so many officials, if they were all killed at once, the court would have no way to find enough people familiar with the vacant positions in a short time.
With Emperor Jingcheng’s passing, it was a precarious moment—the Great Sheng Dynasty couldn’t afford more turmoil.
Tian Nan glanced at her and replied more politely: “The imperial prison, naturally.”
Ye Mingqin breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as they weren’t being killed directly, that was good.
The Left Minister: “Please permit us to enter the palace to discuss subsequent matters with the Crown Prince.”
After saying this, his heart tensed—this was also a test.
The Regent Prince had entered the palace not long ago, and then the Son of Heaven passed. Who could believe there was nothing suspicious about it?
If the Regent Prince didn’t want the Crown Prince to ascend the throne, then was the Crown Prince… still alive? Clearly he had worried too much. After he finished speaking, Tian Nan had the Black Armored Guards clear a path.
“Officials, please proceed.”
The Left Minister’s heart relaxed.
***
Li Ningfeng had been in seclusion for treatment. The moment he heard the mourning bell, he couldn’t worry about anything else and struggled out of his room leaning on a cane.
After only a few steps, he encountered the Old Marquis hurrying over.
He asked urgently: “Father, did you hear it too? His Majesty… how could it be so sudden?!”
“What are you doing coming out?! What help can you be at a time like this? Go back quickly,” the Old Marquis glared, his face stern. “I’m about to go to the palace. The Regent Prince’s actions today were too swift—he left no room for anyone to react.”
Li Ningfeng: “What did he do?”
Old Marquis: “He executed the First Prince’s maternal clan. The First Prince’s residence is now flowing with blood. Only the First Prince remains along with a few wives, concubines, and young children, kept under strict guard in the residence.”
“As for the First Prince’s other supporters in court, they’ve all been taken from the palace and are heading toward the imperial prison.”
Li Ningfeng’s heart sank: “Is Lian Shenwei rebelling?”
“That’s not possible. If he wanted to rebel, he would first request to be enfeoffed with a princedom and territory, then raise an army from his fief. The Great Sheng Dynasty still bears the Ying surname after all,” the Old Marquis quickly finished explaining. “You stay here and don’t wander around. I’m going into the palace to check—the Crown Prince needs people by his side.”
“What about Master Fubiao?”
Li Ningfeng shook his head: “He’s disappeared. Master Fubiao has always had an eccentric temperament. But following his usual habits, he should have gone to an outside pharmacy.”
Master Fubiao’s medical skills were miraculous, but he rarely spoke to him, and when he did it was usually cool mockery. Normally he would occasionally go out—sometimes browsing outside pharmacies, sometimes disappearing without a trace. He’d long grown accustomed to it.
“At a time like this he still shouldn’t go out… Never mind. Did he say when your leg will heal?”
“Treatment is almost finished. Overall there’s no problem, but to fully recover will take another month or more,” Li Ningfeng saw his concern. “Is Father worried that the Northern Yi will take advantage of the court’s turmoil to invade the borders?”
“Precisely.”
“It takes half a month to send a message from the capital to Northern Yi, and they’ll need time to react. By the time they do, my leg should be fully healed, and I can immediately head to the frontier.”
The Old Marquis’s hidden worries didn’t dissipate: “Let’s hope so.”
***
After Lian Shenwei left the palace, he disappeared.
Ming Zhu searched everywhere but couldn’t find him. Even by evening there was no sign.
Ye Mingqin returned from the palace that evening and brought some people to the Regent Prince’s manor. She had some matters she wanted to ask her sworn brother, but didn’t see him.
She was Lian Shenwei’s sworn sister, and some in the manor who knew the inside story didn’t treat her as an outsider, telling her that the Regent Prince wasn’t currently at the manor—both Lord Tian Nan and Lord Ming Zhu had gone out to search for him.
Ye Mingqin’s heart chilled.
In an instant, many conspiracy theories flashed through her mind.
She knew there were Northern Yi spies in the capital. In this situation, if trouble arose again, if her sworn brother disappeared… things would be even more dire. She didn’t make a fuss, but took her trusted confidants out to help search as well.
Ming Zhu had no choice but to find Feng Ke and ask if he’d seen their master.
When Feng Ke heard, his expression changed. His heart immediately rose to his throat, and he said “we’re doomed” twice in succession, making Ming Zhu extremely nervous.
The search continued into the evening, until Feng Ke’s sharp ears caught a familiar and melodious flute sound.
Heaven knows that the moment he heard that flute sound, his hands and feet that had been ice cold finally gained some warmth. How afraid he’d been that Lian Shenwei would be lost forever.
Gasping for breath when he reached the place, Feng Ke discovered this was a cliff on the capital’s outskirts with an extremely broad view, with an entire bamboo forest below.
The waning moon hung high, the clear breeze brushed the bamboo, rustling softly.
The person he’d searched for half the day sat rather unceremoniously with his legs crossed in a leisurely posture, right at the cliff’s edge. The thin cloak originally draped over him was spread beside him with three wine jars on it.
Two jars were already empty, tilted crookedly.
Feng Ke didn’t make a sound, listening to him play the piece.
It wasn’t the “Wandering Knight Travels a Thousand Miles” from last time, but a nameless tune widely circulated in the jianghu that had never been given a name.
Ethereal, melancholy, distant as a dream.
Long after finishing, Lian Shenwei coughed softly a few times, seeming to laugh, his tone lazy and carrying the manner of intoxication. “You’re here? Who is it?”
Feng Ke: “With your current physical condition, you can’t drink too much alcohol.”
“I can,” Lian Shenwei half-closed his eyes. “I only regret this isn’t wine from Phoenix Pavilion. The wine there is truly good wine with elegant names. I alone could drink you both under the table. The capital’s wine…”
He shook his head with slight disdain. “Not good.”
The green jade flute spun once in his hand, the dark red white jade tassel at the end swaying gently along with it.
Though saying it wasn’t good, he lifted the wine jar and poured another mouthful down his throat.
Lian Shenwei turned his head to glance at Feng Ke, laughed aloud, then propped up his legs and patted the spot beside him, saying casually: “What’s with that look? Don’t tell me you think I’m going to jump from here? Come sit.”
Feng Ke approached but didn’t sit down. He didn’t say anything as dampening as “you can’t drink alcohol” again. “Are you very happy today?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
Lian Shenwei looked at the bright moon in the sky. “In ten years, I’ve never been this relaxed and happy.”
He looked toward Feng Ke: “Aren’t you happy for me?”
Lian Shenwei said, “I have no enemies left, Feng Ke. Fudu Manor has finally been avenged. My relatives can rest in peace—I’ve avenged them.”
“As a friend, I’m happy for you,” Feng Ke said, “but as a childhood friend, I feel pain for you. If my father saw you like this, he’d feel pain too.”
He looked at Lian Shenwei with complex emotions.
But was he truly happy himself?
Feng Ke didn’t say much more, sighing silently: “All these years, you’ve been so tired. You should rest. If Sister You Wei and Uncle and Aunt saw you like this, they’d blame you for not taking proper care of yourself.”
Lian Shenwei didn’t speak for a long time, then slowly lay down on the thin cloak on the ground. In his drunken haze, he stared at the night sky for a long while, then suddenly raised his hand and covered his eyes with his arm.
“Would they think of me too?”
“Yes, they would. They loved you so much,” Feng Ke raised his head, pretending not to see the tears at the corners of his eyes.
“Why wasn’t it me who died ten years ago?” Lian Shenwei said in a low voice.
When Ming Zhu, Tian Nan, and Ye Mingqin arrived, they happened to hear one weary, slightly hoarse murmur:
“…I’m so tired.”
**Author’s Note:**
The nameless tune that Lian Shenwei plays this chapter can be associated with the dongxiao (vertical bamboo flute) version of “Sword Riding Through the Jianghu”—very ethereal and melodious.
Also the pure dongxiao version of “Wandering Knight Travels a Thousand Miles” mentioned earlier can be found as well. Anyone interested can go listen.
School has indeed started—there are far fewer familiar faces checking in the comments section. Happy new semester, have you finished your homework? (dog head emoji)
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wannaberecluse On SRTT Chapter 50.1