Chapter 69
As the sunlight bathed the palace walls in red, Weidao was walking along the bluestone road towards the inner palace when he was suddenly stopped by a flurry of footsteps.
It turned out that the commander of the imperial guards, Wei Zheng, was leading three armored soldiers to surround a child. The child looked no more than seven or eight years old. After careful investigation, it was discovered that the child's father was a helper in delivering food to the imperial kitchen, and the child had come with his father.
The imperial guards found papers about treason on the child's food cart, so they planned to put the child in jail.
Wei Zheng took the paper and stepped forward and asked, "Is it really not you?"
The child's voice was tearful, but every word was clear, "It's not me, and I don't know."
The imperial guards beside him sternly rebuked him, "This is what we found in your cart. Are you going to continue to lie?"
The child shook his head in denial: "No, it's not me. I don't know why there would be something like this in my car."
Wei Zheng sighed and waved his hand to signal the imperial guards behind him to take the child away. When passing by Wei Dao, Wei Zheng and Wei Dao nodded and quickly walked away.
And Weidao stood there in a daze, as if he was trapped in some terrible memory.
When he came to his senses, he ran to the East Palace. He couldn't let his father's tragedy happen to others. Now he could only ask His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to try his best.
The gilded bronze crane in the Purple Palace Hall cast a mottled shadow in the candlelight. Li Yin knelt on the cool golden bricks, the hem of his black court robe with a python pattern wrinkled from his grip. The dripping sound of the copper kettle in the corner of the hall made his heart tense. He looked at the corner of the bright yellow dragon robe on the throne, and his Adam's apple rolled twice.
"He's only ten years old." These words, squeezed out from between his teeth, carried the chill of the cold night outside the palace. Li Yin's forehead almost touched the ground.
The person on the throne suddenly slammed the jade sceptre down on the dragon table. The crisp sound of the jade clashing made the candlelight jump violently. "It's precisely because he's a child that it's easier to conceal his identity."
His Majesty's voice was like iron tempered by ice, carrying the scent of ambergris, pressing down from above. "Behind that child, and behind that child, there are countless cruel and treacherous traitors."
He stood up suddenly, his bright yellow robe sleeve sweeping the teacup off the table. Celadon fragments mixed with Biluochun tea splashed onto the soles of his bright yellow boots. "How do you think those traitors managed to infiltrate? They took advantage of the innocence of children and the kindness of women!"
Li Yin's shoulders trembled slightly, and he raised his head, his eyes bloodshot. The wind outside the palace blew snow foam against the window frames, and in a trance, it sounded like countless wronged souls were wailing.
"But he can't even recognize all the words. How can a child who can't even recognize words know what's hidden behind it? They are just trying to fill their stomachs. Please understand, father." His voice was choked with a barely perceptible sob.
He suddenly slowed down his tone, but the chill in it became even stronger. "Yin'er, you are too soft-hearted. There is no room for softness inside or outside these palace walls."
Li Yin was silent. He looked at the face on the throne that looked 70% like his own, and suddenly felt extremely unfamiliar.
He returned to the East Palace in despair. The tacit understanding they had since childhood made Weidao realize in an instant that there was no hope for this matter. He bowed, clasped his fists, and turned to leave. Li Yin stammered and wanted to say something, but finally gave up.
Li Yin sat dejectedly in the main seat. Eunuch Ma came in and announced, "Lord Ji wants to see you!"
He waved his hands weakly, then forced himself to say, "Come in!"
When Ji Zeming opened the curtains and entered, he brought in a gust of cool evening air. Before Li Yin could even offer an invitation, he walked directly to the pearwood chair across from him, flicked the corner of his robe, and sat down without ceremony. The chair legs touched the ground with a soft, not-too-heavy thud, a sound that was particularly clear in the silence.
He was dressed in a cyan brocade robe, his waist cinched with a jade belt. The usual slenderness between his brows was now completely gone, leaving only a deep gloom. He did not speak immediately, but simply folded his hands on his knees, his back straight, his eyes as deep as a pool, fixed on Li Yin's face without blinking.
Li Yin was standing by the window, watching the deepening night outside. He turned slowly upon hearing this. He was dressed in casual attire, his sleeves slightly open, and fidgeting with a jade pendant. His expression was calm and collected. Seeing Ji Zeming's expression, he wasn't surprised, but simply nodded, signaling him to speak his mind.
Ji Zeming's Adam's apple moved, as if he was considering something, or as if he was accumulating some strength.
After a long pause, he slowly spoke. His voice was not loud, but it carried a weight that pierced through the heart, and each word seemed to pass through the space between his teeth. "I have considered this for a long time. Should I plead as a subject, or declare war as a friend?"
As the words fell, something seemed to explode in the air. Li Yin's fingers, playing with the jade pendant, paused imperceptibly. He looked up at Ji Zeming, his eyes suddenly darkening, like a cold pond stained by the night.
He said solemnly, "So, what is your final conclusion?"
Ji Zeming asked in return: "That depends on what your Highness decides."
Li Yin threw the jade pendant aside and said calmly, "Let's talk about it first!"
Ji Zeming said, "The Ministry of Rites is already preparing for the wedding."
Li Yin asked disapprovingly: "And then?"
Ji Zeming straightened his wide sleeves, then swung them away. He leaned closer to Li Yin and said, "I was watching silently from the side, feeling heartbroken. However, I had to pretend to be indifferent and put on a forced smile in front of His Highness."
Li Yin was confused and asked, "What are you talking about?"
Ji Zeming said softly: "That person is the one I admire."
Li Yin raised his eyes, and a flash of murderous intent flashed across his eyes.
Ji Zeming continued, "I don't want to see that person sad because of your Majesty's greed, so I won't stand idly by." After that, he stood up and left.
Ji Zeming's figure disappeared outside the moonlit gate, and the sheep-horn palace lanterns hanging in the corridor swayed gently in the wind. Li Yin was still sitting on the pearwood chair, the teacup between his fingers had long since cooled, a thin layer of white steam condensing on the green tea, just like the thoughts that were surging and then suppressed in his heart.
The swaying shadows of the trees were a striking reminiscence of the way Ji Zeming's robe brushed against the blue bricks as he departed. The man's words still echoed in his ears, each word like ice, chilling his heart. He slowly raised his hand and rubbed his brow. His fingertips felt a slight chill, and he realized that a thin layer of sweat had already formed on his forehead.
In the bronze incense burner on the table, the ambergris burned to the end. The last spark flickered a few times before it completely fell silent.
The faint fragrance in the room gradually dissipated, and Li Yin finally moved, pushing the cold teacup aside. A light "dang" sound was heard, which was particularly clear in the silent night.
At this time, Eunuch Ma came over cautiously, handed over a letter, and said softly: "Your Highness, this is a letter from Mr. Chashan to you."
Li Yin took the letter, opened it, and slowly smiled.
——
After leaving the palace, Weidao wandered aimlessly in the streets, recalling that his father was killed because he opened the granary to distribute grain to the people, and he became an orphan...
Just when he was lost in thought, he glanced at the wall of the street and found that it was a signal from the organization.
Weidao came to a familiar tavern and, led by the waiter, came to the backyard. He saw an ebony wooden table under a locust tree. A figure in a navy blue gown had his back to him and was fiddling with a wine pot on the charcoal stove with a silver hairpin.
The flickering light of the fire reflected on the silver hair on the man's temples. Weidao moved his throat and stepped forward quickly. His long robe swept across the ground, kicking up fine dust.
"Are you looking for me?" When he bowed, the knuckles in his sleeves turned slightly white.
"Luo Zhen." The two words hit the blue brick floor like an iron spike tempered with ice.
Weidao raised his head suddenly.
"Why didn't you tell me? Are you planning to tell Li Yin?"
The man sat upright on a rosewood chair, his long green gown hem embroidered with silver cloud patterns. It was a perfectly ordinary sitting position, yet it made Wei Dao feel like a moth entangled in a spider web. His Adam's apple rolled, and he heard his own voice trembling: "No."
"Then, is it the Prime Minister?"
Weidao suddenly bent his knees and knelt down, his knees hitting the ground with a dull thud. Outside the porch, the rain had begun to fall, and the sound of it hitting the banana leaves was like someone beating drums in the dark.
"She's had a hard time these years," he said, his forehead pressed against the cold ground, his voice filled with pleading, "so I don't want her to know. I don't want her to go through the pain I went through."
"She knows nothing," he added eagerly, his knuckles white from the exertion, "and she doesn't know anything about Hong Kyung-soo."
The sound of rain suddenly became louder, covering up his breathing.
Otoko could feel the man's gaze on his back, piercing like icicles on a winter's day. "So, can we let her live like this, ignorant of everything?" The words drained him of all his strength, and the tremor in his voice, even he himself, was unnoticed.
"When I sent you to Li Yin," the man's voice suddenly turned cold, carrying with it an unquestionable majesty, "I already told you not to have any other ideas and just follow my instructions."
Weidao's shoulders trembled violently, and cold sweat instantly soaked his inner clothes.
"Spies who act according to their own ideas are dangerous." The man slowly stood up, and his green robe swept across the ground, making a tiny sound, but it was like a heavy hammer hitting the heart of the tail knife.
He saw a bony hand reaching for the jade pendant at his waist, which was the token of life and death in the organization.
"Stop!" A cry came from a distance.
Wei Dao looked towards the voice, almost unable to control the expression on his face. "It's you!" He exclaimed in shock, his voice distorted. "The person who brought me here ten years ago was Lord Shang?"
Lightning flashed outside the corridor, illuminating the mask on the man's face. The dark blue lines on it looked particularly sinister in the lightning. "Yes," the man chuckled, his laughter carrying an indescribable strangeness. "I've been watching you silently from the side."
He slowly walked over to the tail blade, the tip of his boot stopping inches from his fingers. "The organization will gather in a few days," he bent down, his voice lowered to a whisper, like a venomous snake. "When everyone gathers, I'll bring Hong Jingxiu's daughter here."
Amid the sound of rain, Weidao heard the sound of his own teeth chattering, which was louder than the thunder outside the window.
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