Chapter 108
Half a month later, the morning light shone through the vermilion window lattices and onto the towering palace walls, but it could not dispel the gloom that enveloped the court.
Prime Minister Ji Ke announced to the world that he had forged the identity of Queen Ji Zelan, slandered the royal family, and poisoned the former queen. As soon as the decree was issued, the whole court was shocked - he was stripped of his official position, his property was confiscated, and he was executed three days later.
When Wei Zheng, the commander of the Imperial Guards, led his men to the Prime Minister's residence, the hustle and bustle of the past had long since vanished. He walked through the courtyard, half covered with fallen sycamore leaves, and pushed open the study door. He saw Ji Ke sitting at his desk, holding an old book with yellowed pages.
Seeing Wei Zheng come in, Ji Ke didn't panic at all. He just slowly put down the book, stood up, and straightened his clothes. Walking down the corridor, passing Ji Zeming's room, he paused, his voice with a barely perceptible hoarseness: "Master Wei, please allow me to take another look at Zeming's room. Thank you."
Wei Zheng looked at the white hair on his temples, thought of the high-spirited prime minister in the court in the past, and finally nodded.
The door was pushed open with a creaky sound. The furnishings in the room remained the same. On the desk was Ji Zeming's unfinished calligraphy, and the ink in the inkstone had long dried up.
Ji Ke walked in alone, and Wei Zheng stood outside the door, listening to the occasional soft sounds coming from inside the house, like the sound of fingertips brushing against the pages of a book.
The time of an incense stick passed in a flash. Just as Wei Zheng was about to speak to urge him, a muffled "bang" sound suddenly came from the house, like a heavy object falling to the ground.
His heart tightened, and he flung the door open. He saw a white silk hanging from the beam. Ji Ke's body was already motionless, and the overturned stool beneath his feet was still swaying slightly. Wei Zheng hurried forward to check, confirming that he was dead. He could only sigh helplessly and immediately went to the palace to report the matter to His Majesty.
In the imperial study, a thick stack of memorials lay on the bright yellow dragon-shaped table. His Majesty threw the memorials in his hand aside, rubbed his swollen forehead, and his eyes were filled with fatigue.
Ji Ke's matter weighed on his heart like a huge rock. Before he could recover, the eunuch's shrill voice came from outside the palace: "The Crown Princess requests an audience—"
The footsteps came from far away. Zhao Yan'er was wearing a light pink palace dress, and her skirt brushed against the blue brick floor. As soon as she entered the hall, she knelt straight down, and her knees made a slight sound when they touched the ground.
She folded her hands on her knees, her voice calm but resolute: "Your Majesty, I have a request. I beg Your Majesty to revoke the title of the Crown Prince's concubine."
His Majesty raised his eyes to look at her, his brows slightly furrowed, and his tone was full of inquiry: "Crown Princess, do you know what it means to ask for the title of a Crown Princess to be revoked?"
Zhao Yan'er lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes casting a faint shadow under her eyes. She nodded slowly: "I know."
His Majesty was silent for a moment, then continued, "Even if you are no longer the Crown Princess, according to ancestral rules, you cannot marry anyone else for the rest of your life."
"I understand." Zhao Yan'er's voice did not waver at all, but her fingertips quietly clenched her sleeves.
His Majesty looked at her determined expression and finally asked the last question: "Have you really thought it through?"
These words seemed to open the floodgates in Zhao Yaner's heart. She kowtowed heavily, resting her forehead on the cold blue bricks, her voice choked with sobs that had been suppressed for a long time: "Your Majesty, I always thought that as long as I stayed by your side, day after day, year after year, I would always be able to warm your heart.
But these days, watching His Highness's concentration as he handles state affairs, and the tenderness in his eyes when he speaks of old friends, I finally understand that His Highness has never opened his heart to me. Clinging to an impossible dream has not only brought suffering upon myself, but has also become a burden to His Highness.
Rather than continue like this, it is better to let go and let me live an upright life alone. Even if it means never marrying, it is better than being trapped in this palace and deceiving myself. Your Majesty, please forgive my willful behavior.
The Imperial Study was completely silent, with only the occasional chirping of birds outside the window. His Majesty looked at Zhao Yan'er, who was kneeling on the ground. He remembered the Crown Prince's always indifferent attitude towards her, and his forbearance in the Eastern Palace. Ultimately, he waved his hand, his tone filled with resignation. "Well, since you've made up your mind, then let's pretend the Crown Prince's consort has never been appointed."
When Zhao Yan'er heard this, she suddenly raised her head, a hint of relief flashed in her eyes, and then she kowtowed again: "Thank you, Your Majesty." The sunlight shone on her face through the window lattice, dispelling the sorrow of the past, leaving only a calmness as if relieved from a heavy burden.
One year later
The golden bricks of the Purple Palace were illuminated by thousands of candles, making them look like flowing molten gold. On the nine-tiered steps, the gilded dragon chair was emitting a terrifying cold light.
The new emperor Li Yin wore a dragon robe with twelve emblems. The twelve tassels of white jade beads on the red gold crown swayed slightly with his steps, but he suddenly stopped when he stepped on the last step.
"Your Majesty, please take your seat." The shrill voice of the eunuch in charge of the imperial seal echoed in the silent hall, and his hands holding the imperial seal trembled slightly.
The whispers of the civil and military officials floated up like fine raindrops, and a commotion arose in the "ocean" of brocade official robes.
Li Yin raised his hand to stop the eunuch's movements, turned around and walked towards the white jade steps in the middle of the Danbi. The corner of his robe brushed the cloud relief on the steps, and he sat down on the cool stone surface. The jade beads on the crown clinked with a sound so crisp that it shattered the solemnity of the hall.
“Your Majesty’s action…” Prime Minister Chashan kowtowed tremblingly, his gray beard almost touching the ground.
Li Yin raised his hand and stroked the cool stone steps. His gaze swept over the courtiers bowing below. His voice, low but penetrating, pierced the palace: "Everyone, please look at this red step. Nine stories high, it separates more than just distance." His fingertips traced the dust in the cracks between the stones. "The distance between the common people and the royal family, and the distance between you and me, is not insurmountable. I want to be closer to you."
As soon as these words were spoken, the hall fell into complete silence. Only the bronze bells on the eaves outside the hall rustled in the wind, making a faint sound. Three days later, the strange story of the new emperor ascending the throne from the steps spread throughout the city. In teahouses and taverns, storytellers banged the gavel: "This is the true dragon emperor, who places his heart at the feet of the people!"
As soon as the Sanyan Pavilion in Xuanyangfang took down its shutters, a crowd of regular customers streamed in. Luo Sanrong, wearing a moon-white apron, was stacking freshly copied storybooks on the counter. On the cover, the characters "Palace Secrets" were written in cinnabar, the ink still carrying a faint scent of pine smoke.
"Shopkeeper Luo, do you have any new jokes today?" The peddler in blue cloth shorts rubbed his hands and slapped the copper coins on the counter.
Her fingertips traced across the yellowed pages, a smile etched in her eyes. "I've just written 'The Silk Story,' which tells the story of a palace maid risking her life to deliver a secret letter." She then lifted the bamboo curtain, revealing the eight-immortal table in the inner room. "Come in and sit down. I just brewed some pre-rain Longjing tea."
This shop was a renovation of an old house approved by Li Yin. It has three storefronts facing the street. Books are sold in the front hall, and a back hall is for tea drinkers to listen to stories.
While busy adding tea, he suddenly heard a familiar cough coming from the door. Luo Sanrong looked up and saw a man in a royal blue silk shirt with dark patterns standing in the backlight. The Hetian jade pendant on his waist was exactly the same as the ornament on the dragon robe in his memory.
"What book are you looking for, sir?" She suppressed her smile, but her tone was filled with warmth.
The man picked up a copy of "The Dragon's Face at the Steps" and brushed his fingertips over the pseudonym "Li Yin": "I heard that the emperor in this book insisted on sitting on the steps?" The eunuch Ma behind him quickly turned his head away and pretended to study the list of vernacular novels on the wall.
Luo Sanrong picked up the teacup and handed it over, the tea ripples in the celadon bowl. "It's just a folk rumor, don't take it seriously."
As dusk deepened, Luo Sanrong saw off the last group of guests, turned around and fell into a warm embrace.
Li Yin took off his cloak, which was damp with the evening breeze, and held her in his arms, resting his chin on the top of her head. "I went to the West Market today and saw that all your storybooks had been sold to the grocery store."
"That's all thanks to Your Majesty." She deliberately emphasized the word "Your Majesty" and poked his chest with her fingertips. "I heard that someone went on an incognito visit, was recognized by a vendor, and even bought two strings of candied haws?"
He chuckled softly and pulled out an oil-paper package from his sleeve. The candied hawthorn fruit inside was still warm. "I just bought it at the alley entrance. The sugar coating hasn't melted yet." As he spoke, his fingertips stroked the fine lines around her eyes. "A few days ago, the Minister of Rites requested that you be made a noble and moved into the palace."
Luo Sanrong took a bite of the candied haws, the sweet and sour juice spreading on her tongue. "I've been in the palace before, so I understand the feeling of being behind high walls." She looked up into his eyes. "You be the emperor, and I'll write my folk tales. Isn't that great?"
Moonlight filtered in through the window, illuminating their clasped hands. Li Yin pulled her closer to him, the scent of soapberry in her hair lingering on his nose. "Okay. Next spring, I'll take you to Jiangnan to see the canal transport. Just like in the storybooks, we'll ride on a black-sailed boat and listen to the soft Wu dialect."
The clappers outside the window knocked three times, and Eunuch Ma coughed lightly at the doorway as a reminder. But Li Yin refused to let go, whispering in her ear, "I'll come see you again tomorrow with the newly investigated corruption case of the salt merchants, which will serve as material for your new story."
Luo Sanrong smiled and nodded, pressing the remaining candied haws into his hand. After watching the blue figure disappear into the alley, she returned to the counter and added a line to the end of "The Silk Story": "Emperors and commoners are only one step apart."
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