Yama
Yanying Hall.
The palace was silent, yet its interior was brightly lit, as bright as day. Years of fighting on the battlefield had left Prince Mao with this condition, a condition that made him unable to trust anyone. He needed to see everything around him clearly to feel at ease.
He tilted his head back and finished the last few drops of wine in the glass cup beside him before casually pushing aside the array diagrams and maps spread out on the table.
These maps depict all the mountains, rivers, and vegetation of Dayu from south to north, from Mujing to the border. Over the years, he has fought countless battles and even knows many places that are not shown on the maps by heart. However, viewing them on paper is not quite the same as personally riding a horse and conquering a city or a town.
The sky had been overcast all winter, not just in Mujing, but throughout the entire winter in the Jiangnan region. The damp, cold air seemed to want to seep into one's bones and never leave. Compared to the thick, dense snow on the border, almost knee-deep, and the boundless snowfields, he hated this kind of persistent, hopeless cold the most.
He rubbed his aching temples, looked away from the endless night outside the window, and then slowly stood up.
"Speak. What is it?"
Behind the soft, floor-length curtains, his trusted confidants waited respectfully, having already been waiting for nearly an hour. Prince Mao was always focused and meticulous in his work and disliked being disturbed. Even though his entourage had arrived early, they had no choice but to wait here according to the rules. Moreover, they could not make the slightest sound, otherwise, in the army, they would be punished with a beating.
When the attendant saw Prince Mao finally ask a question, he cautiously raised his head and whispered:
"...Your Highness, something has happened in the palace. The Empress has lost the Emperor's favor and has been banished to the Cold Palace..."
Before he could finish speaking, the man standing with his hands behind his back suddenly turned around.
His eyes were filled with shock and disbelief.
"Damn it! How could this be?"
Prince Mao looked at his attendant's extremely serious and trembling appearance, and his previously extremely indifferent face was quickly enveloped by some indescribable strangeness. He almost ran down from the stage, grabbed the attendant's collar tightly, and could lift him up with one hand, making the old scars on his face look even more ferocious.
"How absurd! Do you know what she has done wrong? Where is the emperor?"
The attendant coughed several times and hurriedly clasped his hands in apology.
"Your Highness, please calm your anger. I went to inquire but did not hear the reason. Everyone from Changchun Palace has been sent away, and even the head maidservant by the Empress's side has been... And His Majesty... should be in the Imperial Study discussing state affairs with... the Crown Prince..."
Prince Mao didn't say anything more. He suddenly let go of her hand, flicked his sleeve, and strode out of the hall.
"Your Highness, the great undertaking is about to succeed... You must not act rashly at this time!"
The trusted confidant kneeling at his feet almost burst into tears.
Prince Mao, however, seemed to ignore him completely, coldly uttering only two words:
"Prepare the troops." He paused, then added, "Summon Duan Jinru."
He strode out of the palace gate.
A sudden gust of wind arose from nowhere, rushing into the hall and swirling up the scattered military maps, causing them to flutter and fall back down. The hall, which had been quiet and spotless just moments before, was now a complete mess.
Prince Mao did not turn back, but strode into the darkness. He paused briefly as he passed under the corridor, as if he had suddenly remembered something, and glanced at the moonlight under the corridor.
In the distance, the rooftops were covered in frost, and beyond one wall lay another imposing high wall.
In his youth, he had longed countless times to climb over these palace walls and catch a glimpse of the moon beyond. But now, in the hazy night, with its shifting light and shadows, his indifferent eyes resembled a bottomless pool of water, now frozen solid.
The moon in his heart was submerged.
.
The long corridor in front of the Imperial Study was deep and quiet. The wind whistled through the corners of the hall, and the long tassels under the palace lanterns swayed gently. The cold moonlight slanted across the blue brick imperial path, casting a thin layer of white light.
Ning Mei stood on the only path between the Imperial Study and the East Palace, accompanied by two close maids. She wore a light purple palace dress with wide, slightly drooping sleeves, and the gold hairpin at her temple trembled uncontrollably in the cold temperature.
Her features were exceptionally gentle, bright yet graceful, and her every move carried a hint of timidity, making her all the more endearing. Her hands, hidden beneath her wide sleeves, were tightly clasped together, her knuckles slightly white from the force. But it wasn't because of the cold night.
She had been waiting there for an unknown amount of time until the quiet of the night was broken by the sound of a door opening in the distance. Ning Mei listened intently and, sure enough, saw a beam of light slanting from the darkness towards the direction of the imperial study. Soon, from that light, came the footsteps she had become intimately familiar with over the past few days.
Sure enough, it was Crown Prince Wei Yun who came out looking exhausted.
Ning Mei breathed a sigh of relief. As the Crown Prince and his attendants drew closer, she quickly stepped forward, bowed, and said gently:
"I was worried about Your Highness, so I waited here for your return..."
The crown prince, seemingly still lost in thought, was startled by the sudden female voice, and his steps faltered. Moonlight reflected in his eyes, and his tightly furrowed brows seemed to relax for a moment, but before he could answer, his gaze went straight past Ning Mei's shoulder and looked behind her.
In that instant, his expression darkened again.
Ning Mei was slightly taken aback, and unexpectedly turned around following his gaze.
Not far away, beside the imperial road, stood a tall sycamore tree, its branches swaying and casting shadows. The dim moonlight was no different from anywhere else, but a person stood quietly under the tree, dressed in exquisite yet simple clothes, with an unusually cool expression that rivaled the moonlight.
She hadn't even noticed.
For some reason, Ning Mei felt uneasy. She looked again at the slender figure. The figure was almost swallowed up by the heavy night and the shadows of the trees, blending into the boundless darkness. Only the eyes were bright as stars. Even through the pale moonlight, the figure did not look at her, but instead gazed at Wei Yun with a deep and quiet look.
Although she had never met Lin Xu before, Ning Mei recognized her at a glance. This was the woman in the portrait that the Empress had made her study day and night when she was serving by the Empress's side. "...You must learn her posture, learn her appearance, and most importantly, learn how to resemble her, enough to deceive others."
From then on, she studied those expressions day and night, pondering them over and over again, until one day, the Empress looked at her blankly, a layer of weariness creeping between her brows. "...You're already forty or fifty percent similar. But that's enough. Although you can't learn that person's temperament, you're gentle and obedient enough, and that's enough for him to keep you."
At that time, Ning Mei was so clueless that she didn't understand that the "he" the Empress was talking about was the current Crown Prince, the future heir of Dayu.
Wei Yun didn't speak for a moment, but silently met those clear and serene eyes.
Ning Mei couldn't contain her panic, and even her voice trembled unusually, "...Your Highness, it's late, we should go back."
Wei Yun didn't even look at her, gently swaying the lantern in his hand, his voice extremely faint.
Why are you here?
Lin Xu bowed respectfully to the Crown Prince from afar, bathed in moonlight.
"Your Highness saved Lin Xu again today, so you should express your gratitude in person."
The prince's brow relaxed slightly, and he raised his hand, gesturing for her to rise.
Why "again"?
"My tearful remonstrance at the Golden Steps in the past was a rash and reckless act of my own in a moment of desperation. If it weren't for Your Highness intervening behind my back, we probably wouldn't be meeting today."
The prince took a few steps closer to the tall sycamore tree. The darkness obscured his expression, but a barely audible sigh could be heard from him.
"Although you are now of noble status, you are still in the palace, so you should be very careful and not wander around so casually. I will have someone send you back."
After saying that, he turned away, but Ning Mei felt that his profile was almost restraining him from looking at her again.
But then Lin Xu's very low voice came from beside him.
"Did Your Highness risk turning against the Empress tonight to save me?"
Wei Yun paused, his boots making a soft, almost imperceptible sound as they scraped against the stone bricks. A chilly wind blew outside the hall, and candlelight flickered under the eaves. Before he could turn around, he heard a calm, detached female voice coming from not far away.
"Just like Consort Ning, who is currently enjoying such great favor, is it because she resembles me somewhat?"
Before the words were even finished, Ning Mei's body began to tremble uncontrollably. She was already anxious after learning about the Empress's affair that night, and now, hearing Lin Xu utter such treasonous words, she could no longer bear it. Soon, her eyes filled with tears of humiliation and resentment. She could only bite her lower lip and look helplessly at Wei Yun, only to see that this man, who was always as gentle as a breeze and as bright as the moon, the future emperor of the entire dynasty, now had layers upon layers of endless sorrow in his eyes.
His face was partially hidden in the light and shadow, and the moonlight reflected on the gold patterns on his clothes, making them shimmer coldly.
"Lin Xu...you should go back now."
There was no blame whatsoever; he was only concerned for her safety.
Ning Mei bit her pale lips tightly. Since the Crown Princess fell out of favor, the Crown Prince had been busy with state affairs, leaving her alone in the Eastern Palace, where she was the only one of unparalleled honor. Wei Yun had always treated her extremely well, granting her almost every request. She had almost forgotten the days when she used to follow the Empress's every command and live in constant fear. But how could she endure such humiliation today, in front of Lin Xu and even her own two maids?
Soon, tears began to stream down her face.
Another gust of night wind swept across the imperial road, howling and breaking the surrounding silence. The clothes of the group fluttered in the wind, but Lin Xu ignored the Crown Prince's indifference and slowly stepped forward, his expression still calm.
She walked up to the crown prince and stared at him intently.
"I do not like to receive favors from others. Since I am destined to never be able to repay Your Highness's kindness in this life, today—let me help Your Highness this once, so that we can be even."
Wei Yun's heart skipped a beat, and the shock in his eyes could no longer be concealed.
Lin Xu simply smiled slightly. She looked up at him, her eyes clear and cold, like a still pool of water. She stepped forward and gently moved closer to him. The two had never been so close, so close that she could even hear the trembling of his breath.
Her soft, cold lips were almost touching his ear as she whispered a sentence in a voice only he could hear.
Ning Mei stood to the side, watching their intimate whispers, and a surge of anger and humiliation rose within her. She also clearly saw that after hearing Lin Xu's words, the Crown Prince's pupils suddenly constricted, and even his breath caught in his throat.
Ning Mei could no longer care about anything else. The Empress had fallen; she had to secure her own future. Her face was a mixture of pale and flushed, her fingers gripping her handkerchief so tightly they almost tore the silk. She could no longer remain calm, and she hated Lin Xu's composed demeanor, and she resented that the Crown Prince, who was always so principled and concerned with propriety, hadn't pushed her away. She had to get the Crown Prince to leave this place with her, to leave this bewitching woman!
"Your Highness—"
However, before she could finish speaking, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from afar.
Several people turned to look. They saw someone rushing towards them in the pitch-black night, a palace lantern swaying precariously in their hand. A high-pitched voice, characteristic of a close attendant, filled with utter panic, cried out as they ran:
"Your Highness! Something terrible has happened! Prince Mao! Prince Mao has rushed here, looking as if something serious has occurred—"
However, before the eunuch could finish speaking, a sound almost like wind breaking was heard behind him—
It was the sound of a long sword flashing from afar. In an instant, the blade gleamed with a cold, sharp light and pierced through the attendant's chest from behind.
Countless scarlet blood flowers instantly burst open under the moonlight, splattering on the palace walls and filling the air with a stench.
"You...run quickly..." The attendant looked at Wei Yun in despair. Before he could finish his last sentence, his body, pierced by the long sword, collapsed limply.
The air suddenly froze.
All eyes turned toward the direction from which the knife had come.
—From behind the screen wall of the palace not far away, Prince Mao, clad in a brocade robe, strode in, each step awe-inspiring and awe-inspiring, as if the earth were shaking. Under the tranquil moonlight, the fresh blood and old scars on his face appeared even more grotesque and terrifying, like a blazing demon of hell just returned from the depths of despair.
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