Chapter 51 Cause of Death Xiao Yinshi took in the scene, and it felt inexplicably jarring. ...

A single lamp shone dimly as Feng Tan sat at the round table, while Ren Pingsheng leaned over to pour her a cup of hot tea to help her sober up.

The clear yellow tea reflected Feng Tan's clear eyes and brows, which bore a striking resemblance to his old friend. Ren Pingsheng, with a heavy heart, slowly recounted the events described in Hu's letter. The candlelight gradually blurred the figures of the two, and the story was brought back to the eighth year of Chongming.

Many major events occurred during the eighth year of Chongming, among which the case of the female calamity shocked the court officials like a thunderbolt from a clear sky. From the emperor and his officials to the common people, rumors spread like wildfire in the streets and alleys.

Feng Youming and 130 women were arrested in Linzhou for spreading rebellious ideas, establishing girls' schools and creating the Nüshu script. Feng Youming was the ringleader and the eldest daughter of Grand Tutor Feng, so her status was higher than that of the 130 women, and she was imprisoned in the imperial prison.

Most of the 130 women were commoners from Linzhou. They were imprisoned in the Futu Prison according to the laws of the Dahuang Criminal Code. They had no family support. After the joint trial by the three judicial departments, the cabinet drafted the bill, the Directorate of Ceremonial approved it, and the emperor sealed it with his seal and ordered them to be executed in the autumn.

Gao Yu was then the head of the Ministry of Justice. In order to curry favor with Emperor Chongming, he tortured the 130 women until they were covered in wounds, and then imprisoned them in the highest level of the Futu Prison after stamping their names on the document.

The Mid-Autumn Festival of the eighth year of Chongming's reign had arrived, and there were less than seven days left before the execution of the 130 women. Tonight, the bright moon hung in the sky, casting its silvery light like a ribbon. It was a time for family reunions, but Empress Xiaoxian had been confined to her quarters by Emperor Chongming for secretly escorting the princess out of the palace, and was not allowed to step out of Weiyang Palace.

Feng Sangrou was always gentle and composed, and even when she was confined to the palace, she remained the same. At the beginning of the night, she sat in front of the lattice mirror, removed her empress's hairpins and ceremonial robes, changed into a smart and dashing red robe of a brocade guard, and took one last look back at the palace that had imprisoned her for eight years before jumping onto the roof.

In the thirty-eighth year of the Jianming era, she married Prince Yu, Feng Shi. Two years later, Feng Shi ascended the throne, and the new emperor adopted the reign title Chongming. She was given the title Xiaoxian, meaning filial and virtuous. In the first year of Chongming, she and Feng Shi gave birth to Princess Feng Qinghuang, who was given the title Yongle. From then on, she always maintained the demeanor of an empress. Her only act of disobedience was when she secretly sent Yongle out of the palace on behalf of her elder sister.

For ten years she served the emperor, eight years in the palace, diligently practicing self-discipline and upholding propriety. But tonight, the roles have reversed, and she is about to commit an even more rebellious act.

Feng Sangrou changed into her neat attire, took a torch, and lit the flammable fabrics in the main hall one by one. The dazzling red light pierced her eyes, making the determination in her eyes even more intense.

Soon, the sounds of palace servants shouting and running filled the air outside the hall.

"Fire! Fire!"

"Oh my god! Come quick! There's a fire!"

"......"

"The Empress is still in the palace! Quickly, go and save the Empress!"

"Go and report to His Majesty immediately!"

Feng Sangrou remained unmoved. She nimbly leaped onto the roof of the palace and sprinted towards the Floating Prison. Feng Sangrou's martial arts skills were poor, but her lightness skill was superb; Yongle had inherited this trait from her.

The moonlight reflected on her swift shadow. She knew that she was heading to the execution ground of the Buddha, from which there was no turning back. Her only regret was that she had lied to Yongle. That child was probably still foolishly waiting for her.

A tear slid down Feng Sangrou's cheek. The wind howled, and she sped up. When she was half a mile away from the Floating Pagoda, she took out a hundred wind-riding umbrellas that she had prepared in advance, put them on her back, and began to climb the Floating Pagoda layer by layer. Two quarters of an hour later, she was on the eighteenth floor.

Tonight, Feng Bingzhu and she worked together from the inside and outside, taking advantage of the Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations, to put the medicine in the food and water of the guards, ensuring that they would not faint but would be too weak, so that the patrols would not easily notice anything amiss.

Feng Sangrou gave each woman a bundle containing a Wind-Riding Umbrella made by Feng Youming, and briefly explained how to use it. Then she forcefully smashed open the prison window, making quite a commotion. The dazed prison guards were awakened, and when they ran to open the cell door, they found that the key was missing!

They couldn't just stand by and watch the prisoners jump out of the windows and escape. They shouted at them to stop through the iron bars, and as the female prisoners landed one by one in an orderly fashion, the guards slowly came to their senses.

"Go and call the warden, damn it!"

"Damn it! Chase after them!"

"Immediately notify the Imperial Guards, the Jinyiwei, and the Zhenfu Division! Hurry! Hurry!"

While they were frantically calling for reinforcements, Feng Sangrou had already led everyone to the stables that Feng Bingzhu had prepared in advance. Each person had a fast horse, changed into the uniforms of the Imperial Guards, and quickly headed towards the city gate.

It was already curfew, and the streets were deserted, so they rode very fast. As they approached the city gate, the soldiers on duty on the city wall shouted loudly, "Who goes there?!"

Feng Sangrou took out a golden token and replied in a rough voice, "Yu Tianyin, Deputy Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, is here by imperial decree to leave the city!"

The soldier checked the token, and after confirming that it was correct, he stretched out his arm and gestured to open the city gate.

The city gates slowly opened, the rumbling sound striking everyone's hearts. Fortunately, the weather cooperated, the bright moonlight was obscured by layers of clouds, and the soldiers guarding the city gates could not see their faces.

The majestic city gates of the capital slowly opened. Feng Sangrou gestured for them to ride out of the city, while she would cover their retreat. Just then, the thunderous sound of hundreds of horses galloping behind them arose. The newcomer was Chao Rui, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. He shouted, "Close the city gates immediately!"

The soldiers guarding the city realized something was wrong, but it was too late. Feng Sangrou drew her longsword and slashed his arm.

Chao Rui was still some distance from the palace gate when he raised his bow and arrow and shouted, "Your Majesty, please do not make things difficult for me!"

As more and more convicted women emerged from the city, a ruthless look appeared on Chao Rui's face. Just then, the sound of another horse's hooves approached, and Luo Song, the Grand Supervisor of the Eastern Depot, holding a bright yellow imperial edict, proclaimed: "By His Majesty's decree, whoever attempts to break into the prison, shall be left without a survivor!"

After the last woman rode out of the city, Feng Sangrou dismounted, stretched out her arms, and slowly closed the city gate. In the increasingly smaller field of vision, she looked at Feng Bingzhu and smiled, "Bingzhu, never tell Yongle. My Yongle is still young. Don't make her sad."

A crack appeared on Feng Bingzhu's usually cold face, and tears welled up in her eyes. She saw several sharp arrows shooting across the sky behind Feng Sangrou, and the sliver of her face that was exposed was a sacred, blazing fire.

Despite tears streaming down her face, Feng Bingzhu remained calm and directed the crowd, "Ladies, please follow me back to the Imperial Dragon Camp!"

An arrow pierced through the air and stabbed into Feng Sangrou's body. She gritted her teeth and forcefully closed the city gate, enduring immense pain as she fastened the chains. Then she swallowed the key to the iron lock, turned around and smiled at the Imperial Guards rushing towards her.

Feng Sangrou knew that after tonight, there would be no more Empress Xiaoxian in the Great Han Dynasty, and no matter who wrote the history books in the future, she would no longer have the name Xiaoxian.

Having been trapped in this empress's body for so many years, she almost forgot her real name. Her father named her Feng Sangrou, with Sang meaning perseverance and Rou meaning resilience, not submissiveness.

Feng Hengdao wanted her to be a resilient woman who stayed true to herself.

She did a wonderful job tonight.

They held the city gates to the death, enduring countless arrows.

I will always feel guilty towards Yongle.

Blood gushed out of Feng Sangrou's body in a rush; she was in so much pain. She probably looked like a hedgehog now.

Feng Sangrou's eyes were half-closed as she looked at the bright yellow imperial edict in the hand of the Eastern Depot's governor, her smile mocking.

On her deathbed, her past life flashed before her eyes. She remembered her elder sister laughing at her before her wedding, saying she was a "love-struck fool" and had poor taste in men. Yet, before her wedding, her elder sister still embroidered a picture of flowers and a full moon for her, saying, "Feng Sangrou, I spent two whole months embroidering this. How dare you complain that it's ugly?"

I also remembered my father often saying with a smile, "If you miss your father, just break off a willow branch and send it to the Grand Tutor's mansion..."

There were also the nursery rhymes she often sang to Yongle during the first few years after his birth: "The willows are alive, let's spin the top; the willows are green, let's set off the empty clock..."

May her little Yongle be happy forever.

Feng Sangrou's life ended on the Mid-Autumn Festival of the eighth year of Chongming, bidding farewell to her revered spirit, never to be seen again in the grand hall. She was like a white bird roaming the heavens and earth, returning to the place where her life began, Chang'an, in meditation.

......

As the years passed, the candlelight gradually brightened, and the wind shattered the heart and bones of the sandalwood tree.

Ren Pingsheng held her in his arms, gently patted her back, and said softly, "The Empress was righteous. At that time, she had no choice but to swallow the key to guard the city gate."

The candlelight illuminated Feng Tan's bloodshot eyelids. She looked up at Ren Pingsheng and asked, "Was it... Emperor Chongming who killed her?"

“Not necessarily,” Ren Pingsheng said calmly. “When Emperor Chongming arrived at the city gate, he held Empress Xiaoxian’s body in his arms. By then, the empress had already died. Emperor Chongming grabbed the imperial edict and was so angry that he vomited blood. That night, he massacred the Eastern Depot and sent the entire Embroidered Uniform Guard to investigate who forged the imperial edict.”

From then on, the decades-long balance between the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard was broken. The Eastern Depot was now just an empty shell, devoid of real power. Meanwhile, the Embroidered Uniform Guard grew stronger, its network of spies covering the movements of officials, becoming Emperor Chongming's most closely guarded secret technique for controlling his court.

After the Empress died in the eighth year of Chongming's reign, Emperor Chongming went into seclusion for three months. After three months, he stopped holding court and ordered that all matters, big and small, be drafted by the Grand Secretariat, approved by the Directorate of Ceremonial, and finally submitted to the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

The candle wick crackled, and Feng Tan's eyes flickered as she asked, "Did he find out anything?"

Ren Pingsheng shook his head and said, "Emperor Chongming probably didn't find anything, and Hu Shu only investigated up to this point. Later, he finally found some clues, but the key figure was assassinated last night."

Feng Tan frowned and said, "Dou Xiaoquan?"

“Yes,” Ren Pingsheng nodded, his eyes deep and dark. “The Dahuang History records that ‘on the 23rd day of the sixth month of the year Guihai of Chongming, at midnight, a fire broke out in Weiyang Palace. Its light was as bright as a red rainbow across the sky. Empress Xiaoxian stood in the palace, unmoved…’ The historian recorded that the time of the Empress’s death was about a month different from the actual time of her death. Hu Shu learned from Jiang Lili, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, that the reason for writing it this way was that Emperor Chongming wanted to leave a good name for the Empress, so he wrote that her death time was at the beginning of her confinement.”

"Dou Xiaoquan entered the palace at a young age and had a relationship with Jiang Lili, the chief eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial. It is quite a coincidence that the two of them had a connection. Jiang Lili rose from a seventh-rank eunuch to a fourth-rank eunuch because he was favored by Sheng Honghai; while Dou Xiaoquan was promoted because of Yun Jingxun of the Palace Administration Department. Jiang Lili could be considered half of her childhood friend."

"Dou Xiaoquan told him everything. Once, when the two were talking about this past event, Jiang Lili bluntly said that the emperor was ruthless. Dou Xiaoquan seemed to remember something and started to tremble. She stammered and said, 'What's scary is not His Majesty.' After saying this, she suddenly covered her mouth and kept quiet no matter what Jiang Lili asked. In the end, the two parted on bad terms because of this incident."

After Ren Pingsheng finished speaking, he took a sip of tea to moisten his throat. Feng Tan frowned deeply and said, "So this imperial edict is indeed forged. Who could it be? My mother has never made enemies in her life, and after marrying Feng Shi, she rarely left the palace. Who wants her dead?"

Ren Pingsheng said, "The case of the female calamity has far-reaching implications. It is possible that she is Feng Youming's enemy. However, the clues to this matter have run dry. Further investigation would be very difficult. Dou Xiaoquan's death means that Hu Shu has been exposed. She needs to leave as soon as possible."

Feng Tan felt an unprecedented chill. Suppressing her complicated thoughts, she agreed, "Aunt Ren, give me paper and pen and please take them to her so she can leave first."

Ren Pingsheng said "okay," and looking at the deep night, thinking that Feng Tan still had to go to the Ministry of Justice to work the next day, he said, "A-Tan, go back and rest. We must be cautious in urgent matters. The capital is a dangerous place with many powerful forces intertwined. Feng has a life to save, and the ladies of Hongxiu Pavilion need to be redeemed. We cannot afford to make a mistake."

Feng Tan agreed and rose to step out of the Red Sleeve Pavilion.

The moon was high in the sky. Feng Tan had only taken two steps when she heard Lin Wanzhou's clear voice behind her, "A-Tan!"

Feng Tan turned around and saw her standing alone in the shadows, so thin and frail that she looked like a gust of wind could blow her away. She walked back and looked up at Lin Wanzhou, who was standing halfway down the steps, and asked, "What's wrong?"

Lin Wanzhou took out the flower wreath in her hand and stammered, "You...you lost your flower wreath. Here, I'll put it on you."

Feng Tan smiled and lowered her head to gesture for her to put it on. Lin Wanzhou's fingers were nimble, and she tied the flower wreath firmly in Feng Tan's hair. Looking at the fine and soft black hair in her hand, her eyes slowly reddened.

Feng Tan sensed something was wrong with her, looked up and met her moist eyes, and asked, "Wanzhou, what's wrong?"

"I heard everything you just said." Lin Wanzhou sniffed, but tears still streamed down her face uncontrollably. "My aunt died because of her, so why don't you resent her? Why is everyone so determined to save her?"

Lin Wanzhou couldn't understand why, because of her mother, she had fallen from being a legitimate daughter of a prestigious family to a prostitute in a brothel, someone everyone could trample on. Therefore, for all these years, she had never stopped resenting Feng Youming.

Feng Tan reached out and gently wiped away the tears on her face, her eyebrows curving into a smile as she said, "Those who carry firewood for the masses should not be left to freeze to death in the wind and snow."

The moonlight shone on the figures of the young man and woman gazing at each other, creating a tender and lingering scene.

Xiao Yinshi took it in and found it inexplicably irritating.

Zhu Qi sensed his master's increasingly cold and unfriendly aura and gaze, cleared his throat and asked, "Lord Feng, are you done with your work?"

Before Feng Tan could speak, Lin Wanzhou was startled by the tall figure standing in the shadows. Clearly, she was still traumatized by Xiao Yinshi's use of her to lure the enemy last time. Feng Tan raised her chin, signaling her to go back.

Seeing Lin Wanzhou enter the Red Sleeve Pavilion, Feng Tan approached Xiao Yin, gave him a simple greeting, and said, "My lord, is there something you need to see me about so late?"

Xiao Yinshi's dark eyes fell on the flower wreath on her head. Zhu Qi, clearly trying to cover his tracks, cleared his throat again and said, "Antidote is needed every seven days, Lord Feng. Does Meng Henabul not want to live?"

Feng Tan was taken aback. She had hired someone to deliver it this morning. Could something have gone wrong? She gave a brief explanation and tentatively asked, "Please wait here for a moment, sir. I'll go home and get it right away?"

Xiao Yinshi looked down at her for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "No need, I'll go back with you to get it."