Chapter One: Hairpin Falls, Emperor Dies, Chaos Begins
A rosy glow swept across the sky, enveloping the entire city of Chang'an in a hazy crimson hue.
The deposed empress's remains were left in the cold palace, unprepared for burial. Meanwhile, the palace was filled with joy, with gongs and drums beating and suonas blaring. A grand wedding procession, like a dragon, moved through the palace, its head and tail disappearing into the boundless red mist.
Firecrackers exploded in the streets and alleys, while ignorant children continued to laugh and run wildly. The old man, who had seen through the red mist, looked back at the dragon, as if the sound of thunder had exploded in his heart, leaving only endless ashes.
They closed their eyes, sighed deeply, shut the courtyard gate tightly, and ignored it.
-
Inside the palace, a lively atmosphere had already broken out, with toasts and laughter filling the air.
Having just been appointed Grand General, Xiao Yun held his cup with an air of confidence, pacing proudly through the Tenglong Hall, listening with a smile to the flattery of his officials.
"Come, Lord Xiao, let me toast you." A fat official raised his cup to Xiao Yun with a big smile. "Today His Majesty has made Consort Xiao Empress. Such a grand procession of ten miles of red dress around the city to welcome her is something I have never seen in my life! When you rise to prominence and achieve great success in the future, please do not forget us."
"Not at all," Xiao Yun said, waving his hand with a smile as he raised his wine cup. "You gentlemen have accompanied me from humble beginnings to where I am today. How could I ever forget such a great kindness?"
He downed the wine in his cup in one gulp, then strolled to the center of the hall, holding the cup. "Today is the joyous occasion of His Majesty's and my elder sister's wedding. I, Xiao, would like to offer you all a toast to express my gratitude for your tremendous support over the years, which has enabled me to reach where I am today."
A burst of laughter erupted in the hall. The officials raised their wine cups, feigning humility as they offered each other wine. Then, holding their cups, they looked up at Xiao Yun, waiting for his next words.
"Thank you so much! I take this opportunity to invite you all to drink to your hearts' content, until you're completely drunk!"
"Alright! Let's drink until we're drunk!"
The crisp, yet chaotic, clinking of glasses filled the hall. Xiao Yun looked down at the officials below, their expressions varied yet forced to feign obedience, and couldn't help but smirk. He set down his wine cup, walked around the table, and beckoned to a military officer who had just poured himself a drink.
"Lord Xiao, what are your orders?" The man immediately stopped what he was doing and walked to Xiao Yun's side.
"Not all the guests have arrived today." Xiao Yun put his arm around the man's shoulder and glanced at the merrily drinking crowd. "Why isn't General Yang Zhen of the Crimson Clouds here?"
The military officer was taken aback. "Who? Yang Zhen? Wasn't he already demoted to—"
"No matter where he is demoted, you must bring him here," Xiao Yun patted his shoulder heavily twice. "Don't mention the marriage to him. Just say that His Majesty has asked him to discuss important matters and has ordered him and his son Yang Song to go to Chang'an immediately and settle in their old residence, Chixiao Mansion."
"Yes, ma'am."
Xiao Yun coldly watched the military officer jog out through the side door, then looked down at the officials with ulterior motives, a cold smile playing on his lips.
-
The eerie moonlight streamed into the main hall, casting a crimson glow on Xiao Yan's veil.
The drunken emperor, bathed in moonlight, laughed wildly, then flung open the curtains and rushed into the palace, stumbling and falling before the wedding bed, his breath reeking of alcohol.
The veil was slowly lifted from her face, and Xiao Yan squinted as the sudden light stung her eyes. A cold smile played on her lips as she glanced at the emperor's greedy expression.
"Empress Chen's body is barely cold, and Your Majesty already wants to make me Empress," Xiao Yan snorted lightly, smiling at the Emperor. "Your Majesty, aren't you afraid of being ridiculed by the world?"
"So what?" The emperor laughed heartily upon hearing this, then abruptly flung his hand away. "What do you mean, 'all the people under heaven are but ants'? That woman is already dead. Isn't it only natural to make you empress?"
Xiao Yan clenched his fist secretly, but a smile remained on his face as he glanced at the emperor with disdain.
"Moreover..." The emperor smiled as he looked at Xiao Yan's face, leaning closer, "Didn't you say that you would only lose your virginity if I made you empress? Now, you've got what you wanted, haven't you?"
"You got what you wanted..." Xiao Yan repeated with a cold laugh, as if he had heard a joke. "You got what you wanted."
She looked up at the lonely moon on the horizon, pushed away the emperor's hand, slowly rose, and walked into the hall.
"The world is in chaos now, people are suffering, and war is raging everywhere. Your Majesty, you still have the mind to seek pleasure with me," Xiao Yan sighed softly, stepped out of the window to the moonlight, and said coldly, "It is truly remarkable."
The emperor leaned back on the couch, surveying the palace. "What of the world, what of the common people? Now that I hold this position, how can I not enjoy all the glory and wealth! I thought we were of one mind, but I never expected you to care about their fate." He opened his arms, stood up, and looked at Xiao Yan, who was dressed in a wedding gown. "If you are willing, this entire prosperous era can be your dowry!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan gave a barely perceptible cold laugh, removed all the exquisite headdresses from his head and placed them on the table, leaving only a single pearl hairpin in his hair, which blended with the moonlight.
She turned to look at the emperor, whose face was full of greed, as he walked towards her. She picked up her folding fan and pressed it against his bloated belly, suppressing her disgust, and pushed him backward.
“In that case,” Xiao Yan pushed the emperor onto the couch with force, his smile as cold and calm as the moon, devoid of any warmth, “Your Majesty, let me tell you a story.”
A greedy smile immediately spread across the emperor's face. He leaned back on the couch with satisfaction, rubbing his hands together with a smile, and looked at Xiao Yan, "Please speak, my beauty."
Xiao Yan glanced back at the emperor, then pulled out the hairpin from her head. Her black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, obscuring the moonlight seeping into her neck.
"Do you remember this hairpin?" Xiao Yan leaned against the emperor's side and pressed the hairpin against the emperor's nose.
The emperor stared intently at the hairpin, his eyes meeting unconsciously. "This... I feel it looks familiar, but I don't know..."
The comical eyes paired with the gorgeous clothes only made him look utterly ridiculous.
Xiao Yan looked at him and couldn't help but chuckle. "Fine," she said, rising and walking back. The hairpin she was spinning shimmered in the moonlight. "This hairpin used to be worn by a palace maid. She was gentle and lovely, and exceptionally beautiful. When she chased butterflies among the flowers, her sleeves danced in the wind, making her look like a celestial being descended to earth."
She turned to look at the emperor and saw that he was already lost in thought, following her train of thought. She couldn't help but sneer and approach the emperor step by step.
"Given Your Majesty's nature, you naturally fell for her. So soon after, the palace maid became pregnant. But you indulged in pleasure for a moment and never took her to heart. She never had a proper title from beginning to end."
"Today is our wedding day, why bring up other women?" The emperor seemed to understand Xiao Yan's implied meaning, his brows furrowed, and he looked at Xiao Yan with annoyance and concealment.
"Your Majesty, please be patient and listen to the whole thing." Xiao Yan leaned down and used the hairpin to lift the emperor's chin, glancing at him. "We all know how dangerous the inner palace is. This palace maid inexplicably became pregnant with the emperor's child and had no protection from the emperor. She suffered endless torment and humiliation in this deep palace. In the end, she managed to escape the palace with all her might and made a living by begging in Chang'an."
"What...she escaped alive?" A look of astonishment flashed in the emperor's eyes as he stared at Xiao Yan in disbelief. "You mean, she's still alive!"
"She was indeed alive before today."
"How do you know about this? Who are you?!"
"In accordance with her last wish, I am returning this hairpin to you!"
"You are her child! Xiao Yan! You—" The emperor's voice choked in his throat. He stared wide-eyed at Xiao Yan, cold sweat still creeping up his back.
"Yes, I am her child." Xiao Yan toyed with the hairpin in her hand, her laughter chilling to the bone. "Hahahaha, I am her child! Then my father is none other than you?" She gripped the hairpin tightly, its tip pressed against the emperor's throat. "What do you say, Father?"
"You...you're trying to kill me? Xiao Yan! You ungrateful wretch—"
The hairpin plunged straight into the emperor's throat, and the spurting blood, along with the emperor's screams, was drowned out by the clamor of the city.
The world seemed to fall silent for a moment amidst a sea of crimson, witnessing the death of the last emperor of the Han dynasty beneath his hairpin.
The moment the heart stops, it heralds the end of a golden age and the rise of heroes.
-
Xiao Yan's hand, gripping the hairpin, trembled uncontrollably, the spilled blood seeping into her palm. She stared intently at the emperor's face, as if her soul had been ripped from her body, until the stench of blood filled her entire chest.
The moonlight still shone coldly through the window, and a gentle breeze, along with the moonlight, brushed against Xiao Yan's back, making her shiver and gradually come back to her senses.
She then realized that her breathing had become heavy without her noticing, and her heart was pounding. Exhausted, she threw away the blood-stained hairpin and staggered back two steps.
After settling into place, Xiao Yan turned to look at the clear moon, let out a soft breath, and slowly strolled towards the door.
The bedchamber was utterly empty, devoid of any life except for Xiao Yan. Footsteps echoed endlessly within the chamber, as if resonating with the whispers of her heart.
The emperor is dead.
The power of the world was completely seized by the siblings.
She stood at the doorway, gazing at the clear moon—a moon completely exposed in her eyes without any concealment—and her heart gradually calmed down.
"Go in peace, Mother," Xiao Yan looked at the moon and smiled freely, "The tyrant is dead. From now on, it will be a world where heroes vie for power."
A moment later, a young man dressed in plain robes emerged from the long night, bowed and clasped his hands in greeting to Xiao Yan from afar, then took the fan she offered and entered the palace, brushing past Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan closed his eyes briefly and stepped into the darkness.
-
"Gentlemen! I ask you!" Xiao Yun, with his arm around the shoulder of his advisor, raised his wine cup high, staggering as if drunk, "If the fate of this dynasty is sealed, and the emperor's lifespan is nearing its end! What... will you do?"
The wine in the cup sloshed out and spilled onto the ground, as if calming everyone's hearts. The entire court fell silent, with only the "plop" sound of the water droplets hitting the ground.
"What's wrong, gentlemen?" Xiao Yun shoved aside the minister beside him, leaned on the table, gripped his sword, and glanced at the ministers who dared not utter a sound. "None of you dare to answer?"
“This…” A civil official looked around, stepped forward, bowed to Xiao Yun, and said, “We… will definitely establish Lord Xiao as the new emperor, and then follow you at your beck and call.”
"Li Xing! You corrupt official!"
Before he could finish speaking, an old minister beside him, enraged, pointed at him and shouted, "When the late emperor was alive, how could he ever mistreat you! What, your Li family has been receiving a salary from the court for many years, and now you want to collude with this scoundrel! If your father were alive, he would never forgive you!"
"Oh?" Xiao Yun walked over to the old minister with his sword, his strong smell of alcohol hitting the old minister's face, causing the old minister to involuntarily back away.
"Does Lord Chen mean that he is unwilling to follow me?"
"Nonsense!" The so-called Lord Chen was not intimidated by Xiao Yun's intimidation. He shouted angrily at Xiao Yun, "Who do you think you are? How can I be at your beck and call? Lord Ji has been honest and upright all his life. How could he possibly take in treacherous and wicked people like you and your brother!"
"Shut up! How dare you insult my sister!" Xiao Yun frowned and slammed her hand on the table. "Cheng Feng!"
A military officer, following the sound, moved, his hand on his sword, and circled around from behind the crowd, standing before the old minister, glaring angrily. His armor clanged with each step, the echo reverberating throughout the hall.
"Hahahaha," the old minister couldn't help but laugh, "Come on, Xiao Yun, if you have the guts, kill me!"
"You think I wouldn't dare?" Xiao Yun roared through gritted teeth, "Drag him out and behead him!"
Cheng Feng nodded and immediately reached out to pull the old minister out of the hall. The entire hall fell into a deathly silence once more, with only the angry curses of Lord Chen echoing incessantly as he walked away.
"Where are the others?" Xiao Yun straightened up, pacing around the hall with his hand on his sword. "Anyone else who's dissatisfied?"
"We will all obey Lord Xiao's orders and follow him to the death, with no disloyalty whatsoever!" The officials looked at each other, then knelt on the ground and shouted in unison, but their voices were scattered and broken, like loose strings on a zither.
"Report—"
"Speak!" Xiao Yun looked at the scout kneeling outside the door and raised his head.
"Reporting to the General, General Yang Zhen has received your message and is on his way to Chang'an with his son Yang Song. They should arrive around midnight."
"Alright, you may leave now." Xiao Yun nodded in satisfaction. "Was anyone absent from today's banquet?"
“Your Excellency,” Li Xing, who had spoken earlier, bowed, “Lu Qi has not been here since the banquet began. I wonder where he is…”
Xiao Yun frowned upon hearing this and waved his hand impatiently. "Lu Qi is my sister's close attendant. She summoned him away at noon for other arrangements. Who else is there?"
"The rest of the people are here."
"Good!" Xiao Yun gripped the hilt of his sword and nodded in satisfaction. "Everyone, remember what you just said. If you disobey, you will be brought back with your heads! The meeting is adjourned!"
The ministers looked at each other in bewilderment, and then left the hall one after another.
Xiao Yun picked up the wine jug, took a big gulp of wine, and laughed as he watched the crowd disperse like a receding tide. He let out a long sigh, picked up the cloak that had been folded up to the side, and strode towards the door.
-
Xiao Yun's drunkenness had long since dissipated in the cool breeze. He stood in front of the hall, holding his cloak and waiting quietly. As soon as he looked up, he saw a red figure walking towards him. He quickly frowned and hurried to meet her.
“Sister,” he said, wrapping the cloak around Xiao Yan’s half-exposed shoulders and looking at her with concern, “how is everything? Is everything alright?”
Xiao Yan lowered her eyes and remained silent, nodding almost imperceptibly. After a long while, she looked up at Xiao Yun again, "The tyrant is dead, and our family's revenge has been achieved." She let out a long breath and led Xiao Yun up to the Chengyue Pavilion, "What is the attitude of the civil and military officials?"
“In the current court, those in power are all our confidants. As soon as you entered the bridal chamber, the situation was brought under our control. Those so-called loyal ministers have also been imprisoned in a side hall of the palace.” Xiao Yun followed closely behind Xiao Yan, supporting her long sword as she answered.
Xiao Yan clenched his fist slightly, then relaxed it weakly.
"Has General Yang Zhen returned?" Xiao Yan didn't stop walking, frowning as he looked up at the moonlight hidden behind the western mountains.
“Yang Zhen,” Xiao Yun smiled contemptuously, “he was unwilling to come when he heard that we had summoned him, but he couldn’t resist our overwhelming power.” He raised his head arrogantly, “and could only rush to Chang’an with his son without stopping. He is now under our confinement in the Chixiao Mansion.”
Xiao Yan nodded slightly and stepped onto the last step of Chengyue Pavilion.
"Has Mother... been buried?"
Xiao Yun paused, then his smile faded, and he nodded solemnly, "He has been buried."
A ray of morning light blended into the night, completely obscuring the last rays of the setting moon and drawing back the curtain of the new day. Xiao Yan suddenly turned around, took two quick steps, and leaned against the railing.
The hazy morning light gradually poured over Chang'an, and the magnificent capital city unfolded before Xiao Yan's eyes like a flowing scroll.
This was the first time she had ever seen Chang'an from such a perspective.
"Chang'an, oh Chang'an." The sinister and ruthless look in Xiao Yan's eyes had long since vanished with the moonlight, and the trace of pity had also disappeared. The city of Chang'an, illuminated by the sunlight, reflected golden light in her eyes, complementing her carefree face.
"The city gate tower is so magnificent, yet its interior is fragmented and dark." She leaned on the railing, sighed softly, and gazed at the bustling city below.
Xiao Yun walked to Xiao Yan's side and took the cloak she had pulled off. "What does it matter? The power of the world has already fallen into our hands. If we declare ourselves emperor now, suppressing the rebellion won't be a matter of a short while. At that time, how Chang'an is governed will depend entirely on your thoughts, sister."
"Claim yourself emperor?" Xiao Yan glanced back at Xiao Yun, then shook his head with a smile. "What makes you think you can claim the throne? Power you seize?"
"Isn't having the power to rule the world enough?"
Xiao Yan sighed deeply, leaning against the railing. "Now the land is torn apart, powerful warlords hold sway, and the people are suffering. If you and I were to kill the emperor and seize power, how could we possibly win back the hearts of the people? What is the point of us calling ourselves emperors? Isn't that just empty talk?"
"We've worked so hard for so long, yet we can't even be emperors?" Xiao Yun clenched his fist and frowned as he questioned.
Xiao Yan stared at him for a long time without saying a word, then turned around and leaned on the railing, looking at the pedestrians walking out of the street.
The sound of the gong at dawn echoed through the streets and alleys, dispelling the mist and revealing a scene of beauty like a watercolor painting to Xiao Yan. Leaning against the railing, she glanced at the street scene of Chang'an, a sense of satisfaction rising in her eyes.
"One day, this city will be indestructible, protecting all generations, absorbing all rivers, and endlessly regenerating."
Xiao Yun followed his sister's gaze downwards and saw a misty fog swirling between the buildings. Early risers were already treading through the streets and alleys at dawn, accompanied by the sound of gongs.
He sighed softly, as if relieved, "So be it." He leaned on the railing, looking at the streets and alleys of Chang'an. "Now that we have power in our hands, and you, sister, have brought back Yang Zhen and his son to serve you, it's only a matter of time before we pacify the world."
"To pacify the world..." Xiao Yan chuckled upon hearing this. "It's a long way off." She turned to look at Xiao Yun and smiled. "Leaving aside other matters for now, let's talk about Yang Town, which you just mentioned."
Xiao Yun frowned in confusion and looked at Xiao Yan, "What about Yang Zhen? Wasn't he already under my control?"
“Besides Yang Song, he also had a daughter named Yang Xiao.” Xiao Yan turned his gaze away and looked up at the distant mountains. “After the Northern Qiang princess was forced to death by the treacherous minister favored by that tyrannical emperor, Yang Zhen had no choice but to entrust his daughter, who was still young, to his close friend for her safety.”
Xiao Yun waved her hand dismissively upon hearing this, "She's just a missing woman, what kind of trouble could she possibly cause?"
"To that tyrannical ruler..." Xiao Yan sneered, glancing back at Xiao Yun, "Am I not also that woman whose whereabouts are unknown?"
"This..." Xiao Yun was speechless for a moment.
Xiao Yan let out a long sigh and leaned against the railing. "Yang Xiao..." she murmured softly as she gazed at the rolling mountains. "Bearing such a destiny, what kind of storms can she stir up in this chaotic world?"
She gazed at the distant mountains to the east, listening to the echoes of the wind. Little did she know, Yang Xiao was in Jiangnan at that moment.
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