dilemma

Jinhong looked at Sun Zili with a deep meaning in her eyes, but she didn't refuse. They then grabbed some weeds from the ground, tied them into a ring, knelt on the ground, and sincerely bowed, swearing, "We don't ask to be born on the same day, month, and year, but we ask to die on the same day." They kept this promise for years.

After the ceremony, Sun Zili said, "I am a few years older than you, so I am your elder brother. From now on, you are my brother. Although I am not as skilled in martial arts as you, if you are in trouble, I swear to protect you at all costs. From now on, you and I are brothers." He thought again and took out a piece of blood jade from his bosom. "I heard that sworn brotherhood requires a token of trust. This jade was given to my uncle by King Ping the other day. It is said to be a rare treasure. If you don't mind, I will give it to you."

Many years later, when Sun Zili recalled his passion back then, he wanted to punch himself on the forehead. He was so bold and foolish as to become sworn brothers with the prince of the time and even dared to call himself his brother. It was truly a heinous act of treason.

Sun Zili's last visit to Jinhong was normal, but the next day, Jinhong stopped coming to the private school. Sun Zili went to ask Master Pei, who simply said that Jinhong had a family emergency and was moving out of her current residence, and would no longer be attending the private school.

Sun Zili felt as if a house in his heart had collapsed into ruins in an instant. He asked around and found out that Minister Wen and his family had indeed moved to another place due to a change in their official positions. As for where they had gone, he had no idea. His dear brother Jinhong had disappeared from the face of the earth since then, with no news of him.

Years later, Sun Zili was stunned to see the newly appointed Crown Prince in the imperial court. He looked like a spitting image of his old brother Jinhong. He froze in shock, his own fear of Jinhong's one-handed grasp returning, unable to react. His heart sank at the new emperor's voice. It was indeed his brother Jinhong, not just a resemblance. Yet, years had passed, and the world had changed. He remained the same, but Jinhong was no longer the young woman she had been. Jinhong was a stranger, and he himself remained lingering in the past, unable to escape.

The voice of the man who had experienced so much came from the dragon throne. He was still so young, but his voice was already stained with the lingering vicissitudes of life. "Sun Shaoqing, pass on my order. The entire Pingwang Mansion is under lockdown. From now on, no one is allowed to enter or leave. Pingwang and Yifei are each confined to their rooms. The Dali Temple will strictly monitor and control them. Sun Shaoqing orders this to be carried out."

Sun Zili suddenly regained his composure, and with a solemn expression, he bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I accept your order."

Sun Zili and a group of officers and servants lined the front hall of Prince Ping's mansion. After reading the imperial edict, he bowed to Prince Ping and said, "Your Highness, I, the Junior Justice of the Dali Temple, have been ordered by the Emperor to investigate the Nansai Rebellion. I request your cooperation."

King Ping stood up, regaining his usual arrogance, and said to Sun Zili: "What does the rebellion in Nansai have to do with me? I would like to ask Sun Shaoqing for advice."

Sun Zili did not even raise his head, maintaining a bowing posture, and said: "The interests involved are known to heaven, earth, the emperor, and Your Highness. Please forgive my stupidity and inability to explain it in detail. I apologize for the offense." He waved his hand, and the officers and soldiers behind him obeyed his orders and poured out, sealing off the two corridors on the left and right in turn, and finally meeting in the backyard.

Upon seeing this, Prince Ping's brows furrowed and he shouted, "How dare you! Who dares to touch my palace without my permission!" While he was speaking, two burly yamen runners sent by Sun Zili had already tied his arms.

Sun Zili said solemnly, "Your Highness is a minister of the Qi Dynasty, living on the land of Great Qi, at the feet of the Emperor, in front of the Majesty. Who dares to disobey his orders?"

King Ping glared at Sun Zili, breathing heavily in anger, and was unable to utter a word.

Sun Zili ordered, "Take him away!" Two yamen runners escorted Prince Ping and said to him, "Your Highness Prince Ping, come back to your room with us." They tied Prince Ping up and led him into his room.

Yifei on the side watched all this silently without saying a word.

For a moment, the clatter of soldiers' footsteps, mixed with the clatter of armor, filled the palace. The wails and cries of servants and women echoed throughout the mansion. An hour later, the soldiers gathered in the palace's front hall with the confiscated money and loot. The scroll hanging in the secret room of Prince Ping's study was also confiscated. The soldiers led the women and servants of Prince Ping's palace out, bound in iron shackles. Prince Ping and Yifei were each confined to their rooms, forbidden to enter or leave.

The setting sun was blood-red and the old crows were wailing. Sun Zili looked back at Prince Ping's Mansion. In this magnificent and huge mansion, only the three large characters "Prince Ping's Mansion" inlaid with gold on the plaque at the entrance were still hanging high, announcing the identity of the owner of this mansion to the world.

The soldiers bolted the door, chained it, and affixed two cross-seals to the wooden lattice before leaving. Yifei walked slowly to the door and peered out through the window bars. A bird was swinging from the branches of the old willow tree outside, fluttering and dancing with delight. It must have felt like it was dancing, its movements beautiful. Sure enough, another bird soon joined it, pecking at it affectionately, chirping and singing, before both flew away.

Yi Fei suddenly recalled the day when he first met Yao Xian in the palace. She was dancing and playing with her shadow in front of everyone. She must have been like the bird, thinking that she could charm everyone, but she didn't charm him at that time.

Dusk gently streamed into the room, reflected in the bronze mirror, casting a halo of the color of a crabapple. He vaguely saw that on a similar evening, he had somehow entered this room and seen her face, turning back to him in the bronze mirror. Her face was indifferent and quiet, yet it had, without warning, shone into the softest depths of his heart. It must have been the work of some devil, a bewildered spirit, that had captivated him, captivating him and destroying the lives of everyone in Prince Ping's mansion.

That night, he lay in bed, pretending to be drunk, until he heard her enter the house late at night. He feigned sleep, neither moving nor speaking, until she looked carefully at him and then lay down to sleep. The next day, he asked her where she had been the previous night and why she hadn't seen him when he returned. She replied, "The prince hadn't returned yet, and I felt uneasy but not sleepy, so I went to the garden to relax. I didn't expect to find the prince asleep when I returned, so I didn't wake you." He didn't ask, "How could you go to the garden in the middle of the night and relax until the fourth watch, dressed in black?" He simply nodded dully. When the decree arrived today, with Sun Zili and his men at the Feng Mansion, he understood everything.

Just now, the soldiers had grouped the women and servants of the mansion together, like grasshoppers on a string. From afar, he saw his own princess and concubines tied to the same rope. The princess was the first to burst into tears, her face red. A dozen women cried out, "Prince, save me!" The voices were so mournful and intense that the soldiers standing by couldn't help but scratch their ears. But he didn't see that figure among them.

Everyone said he was lost in thought and intellect, but he himself was completely unaware. Yaoxian, she was Yihong's plan from the beginning. It was a pity that he had spent his whole life wandering among the beauties, but still fell for this beauty trap. Yifei raised his head, reflecting his face in the setting sun, a pale blood red. A sad smile appeared on the corner of his lips, and he closed his eyes.

The scroll was slowly unfolded. On the imperial desk of Emperor Hong, he looked at the tiger in the painting. After looking at it for a long time, he found that the tiger's face really looked a bit like the outline of Uncle Ping, especially the angry eyes, which were very similar to the look when he raised his eyebrows. Yihong suddenly felt helpless and grinned. The painter found by Uncle Wang was very sharp-eyed and had a sharp brush. In order to cater to the wishes of His Highness Ping, he had to transfer his face to the tiger's head. Then he looked at the young tiger being stepped on by the adult tiger. It was weak and timid, cowering and frightened, and it almost knelt down and begged for mercy from the tiger. Yihong raised his hand and touched his face. He wondered how similar he was to the young tiger in the eyes of Uncle Wang?

Yaoxian had told him that Uncle Wang had hidden all his ambitions behind the secret door in this painting. He had seen all the evidence of his attempts to overthrow the imperial power and crush Yihong. Looking at it again now, he wasn't as devastated as he had been the first time. He just found it absurd and ridiculous. What was the point of all this arguing? But he still had something to say, something he wanted to discuss with Uncle Wang Ping in person.

Yihong called Eunuch He over and said, "Go ahead, I need to go to Prince Ping's mansion."

Eunuch He was stunned for a moment, then sighed, said yes, and asked people to prepare.

The emperor arrived at Prince Ping's Mansion. It was once prosperous and majestic, and it occupied all the wealth of Qi State. One mansion was as big as half of Qi State's cities, and its splendor was even greater than that of the imperial palace. But now it was desolate and desolate, which was a pity.

Yihong stepped into Prince Ping's mansion. The two stone lions at the gate stood majestically, their master still within, their guards still in place. The courtyard was deserted, its leaves and flowers scattered across the pond and the ground, its once exquisite structure now shrouded in decay. Yihong passed through numerous corridors and countless moon-shaped gates until he reached the room where Prince Ping was confined. He ordered the seals and chains removed, dismissed the servants, and entered alone.

The room had not been cleaned for many days, and a thin layer of dust fell on the table. Prince Ping was sitting on a round stool beside the table with his feet shackled and his hands chained. His imperial demeanor remained unchanged. When he heard someone coming in, he turned his head.

Yihong walked across the table, glanced at Prince Ping, and suddenly smiled. "This is my first time in Uncle Wang's mansion. When I was a child, I often heard my father say that Uncle Wang was elegant and always paid attention to his food, clothing, and daily necessities. He even recruited famous craftsmen from all over the country to design and build his mansion. Therefore, it is much more exquisite than the imperial palace. Seeing it today, it is indeed extraordinary."

King Ping just looked at him without saying a word.

Yihong found a round stool and moved it over, sitting across from Prince Ping. The teapot on the table was still warm. Yihong had only ordered Prince Ping and Yifei to be confined to their homes, but he had not restricted their food and clothing. Everything was still priced according to the imperial household. Even though Prince Ping's hands and feet were confined, he could still walk and eat, but his movements were restricted. Yihong poured two cups of tea, placing one in front of Prince Ping and taking the other himself. He took a sip, shook his head, and said, "It's far worse than the tribute from the Qiang and Rong."

King Ping watched his movements intently, without touching his teacup or speaking a word.

Yihong continued, "The other day, when Abeile presented the tea as tribute, I tasted it with my mother. She said that the Qiang and Rong people really knew how to enjoy tea. Such a fragrant and pure tea is not available in the Central Plains, yet they drink it like water every day. I just found it funny that Uncle Wang tasted and drank it every day, but we were unaware of it. Oh, yes, I forgot to bring some tea for Uncle Wang today. I was careless. I didn't know what kind of tea Uncle Wang liked."

King Ping finally opened his mouth and asked, "Have you come here today just to humiliate me?"

Yihong raised his head calmly, "Uncle Wang, please calm down. I came here today simply to chat with you about family matters. I grew up outside the palace with my mother, the Queen Mother, and have never met any of the royal family. I've heard everything about the palace from my father. If it weren't for this opportunity, I'd never sat down with you and had such a peaceful conversation."

Prince Ping snorted coldly, "You little brat, what can I possibly have to say to you? I'm a fallen tiger, I can kill you if you want. But it's not your place to judge my life's merits and demerits!"