Xie Qing waited for a long time in front of the Liangyi Hall.
Clouds drifted past golden towers, incense curling from beast-shaped burners.
When footsteps echoed from within the vermilion palace gates, he immediately ascended the stone steps to meet them.
Yaoying stumbled out of the main hall, her footsteps heavy and dragging.
She had obtained the promise she wanted.
In exchange, Li De had also gained what he desired.
Yaoying never expected that mere accusations would awaken Li De’s conscience. After leaving the Crown Prince's Palace, she immediately entered the palace to strike a deal with Li De before Li Xuanzhen could arrive.
A political marriage to a distant land would surely cost her life. Since she didn’t have long to live, she might as well make one more transaction.
Her deal with Li Xuanzhen was to have the Flying Cavalry rescue Li Zhongqian.
Her deal with Li De was to secure Li Zhongqian’s future upon his return to the capital.
Perhaps stunned by Yaoying’s resolve, Li De suddenly gazed at her for a long while before leaving. He pointed to a worn spot on the floor tile in front of the Dragon Throne Desk: "Seventh Lady, look."
He glanced around.
"This hall was once burned down. The consorts of the previous dynasty’s rear palace were imprisoned here and reduced to ashes in the fire. Everything needs repair—the tiles must be replaced, the floor bricks relaid, and the Taiji Hall’s foundation entirely rebuilt…"
Court officials had repeatedly petitioned for palace renovations.
Li De’s response was: "Frugality nurtures character, tranquility cultivates virtue. As the new dynasty is just established, large-scale construction is inappropriate."
He enforced austerity, halting all ongoing palace construction projects. He only ordered the interior repainting before moving in and prohibited tributes of rare treasures, especially so-called auspicious signs.
With the emperor living frugally, court officials could not indulge in extravagance. The rising trend of lavish competition among noble families was quickly suppressed.
Li De said, "Seventh Lady, who doesn’t love fine clothes and grand palaces? I am no ascetic monk—I too crave luxury and comfort, and I too wish to live in spacious, bright halls."
He paused, then shifted his tone: "But I am the emperor."
And an emperor who had ascended the throne not long ago in an era of rival warlords.
It was far from time to indulge. As ruler, he had to lead by example.
He was the emperor. He must be cautious in all matters, wary of everyone, and employ every available means to balance the court.
Yaoying replied calmly, "My uncle once told my elder brother that some people are short-sighted, seeing only immediate wealth, while others look years, decades, even centuries or millennia ahead. My uncle was frail since childhood and unable to fulfill his wish to pacify the chaotic times. He and Your Majesty became fast friends, sharing common aspirations. He said that Your Majesty sees decades, even centuries ahead."
When barbarians invaded from the north, noble families fled south to escape. Only the Zhu clan risked annihilation to stay and protect the trapped common people.
When the Zhu clan founded their dynasty, it was with popular support and collective hope.
Yet this dynasty, born from devastation, flourished for only one generation before rapidly declining and ultimately collapsing.
Xie Wuliang and Li De had once debated this.
Li De believed the previous dynasty’s fall was not due to popular rebellions or the last emperor’s incompetence, but to infighting among noble families and corrupt governance.The Zhu clan had once attempted to salvage the dynasty. They vigorously promoted the humble clans, reformed the bureaucracy, and expanded the imperial examination system, which aroused the vigilance of the aristocratic families. Court infighting intensified, imperial descendants schemed against one another, triggering the Rebellion of Several Princes. Successive emperors grew increasingly tyrannical and incompetent, plunging the realm into chaos and causing the reforms to fail completely.
Li De declared that if he ascended the throne, he would never easily compromise with the aristocratic families. He would consolidate imperial authority, centralize military power, and use the humble clans to suppress the aristocratic families, ensuring the Rebellion of Several Princes would not repeat itself.
The aristocratic families could no longer hinder the rise of the humble clans. They should have adapted to the changing times long ago and sought other means to preserve their family interests.
Xie Wuliang, concerned for the nation and its people, possessed the same foresight as Li De. He deeply understood his family's monopoly on power and recognized that if the aristocratic families regained control of the court, a prolonged covert struggle with imperial authority would inevitably ensue—a struggle that would inevitably lead to instability.
Prosperity brings suffering to the people; collapse brings suffering to the people.
The new Wei dynasty must establish a solid foundation from its inception, eliminate all threats, thoroughly reform the bureaucracy, and avoid the maladies of the previous dynasty.
Only then could lasting stability be achieved, allowing the people to live in peace and prosperity, far from the ravages of war.
Though Xie Wuliang was physically frail and unable to follow in his ancestors' footsteps by charging into battle, this did not diminish his efforts to pacify the troubled times.
He did not mind assisting others if it meant the people could live prosperous and peaceful lives.
He met one local warlord after another, eventually encountering Li De.
Xie Wuliang placed great hopes in Li De, believing him to be a man of extraordinary talent and profound strategy—the enlightened ruler who would end the era of chaos.
Thus, even fully aware of Li De's true nature and foreseeing the inevitable outcome of "discarding the bow after the birds are gone," Xie Wuliang still chose to give Li De an opportunity for collaboration.
He did not fear being cast aside after serving his purpose; he only asked that Li De treat his younger sister well.
Yaoying gazed at the brilliant light filtering into the hall through the layered screen depicting towering peaks, her face devoid of emotion.
"Your Majesty, my uncle regarded you as a close friend. Even when you used the neglect of the Xie family to warn other aristocratic families, he never complained... Unfortunately, he never truly understood you. He believed you would surely remember your promise to him and take good care of my mother."
Yaoying's voice softened. "My uncle certainly never imagined you would fail to keep even this simplest promise. You too have your selfish motives—you cannot face Empress Tang's death, you cannot resolve the hatred in your elder brother's heart, and so you take it out on my mother and my brother."
Did Li De not know about the Crown Prince's Palace targeting Li Zhongqian?
He knew.
He did not intervene.
Li Xuanzhen was trapped by his mother's vendetta, and Consort Xie along with her son Li Zhongqian were the whetstones Li De used to sharpen Li Xuanzhen.
He could not conceal his heartlessness toward those around him.
Li De remained silent.
Yaoying continued, "In Jingnan, I took in refugees, established libraries, printed books—allowing more children from humble backgrounds to afford an education... Yet I dared not let Your Majesty know of these deeds. Because I knew even if my actions benefited the nation and its people, you would not commend me for them. You would only suspect me of ulterior motives, and then extend that suspicion to my brother."
"Your Majesty, though I am but a woman, I understand the weight of nation and homeland. But I cannot accept the injustices you've inflicted upon my mother and brother, nor your use of the loyal Xie family—who sacrificed everything—as a warning to other aristocratic families."A ruler who even schemes against loyal and righteous men, leaving them to bear resentment in the netherworld—how would the common people of the realm treat heroic martyrs?
Heroes who sacrifice themselves for the public good and fear no peril should not be treated with such disrespect.
Li De was unworthy of being a father to her and Li Zhongqian.
Nor was he worthy of being Xie Wuliang’s confidant.
After saying this, Yaoying turned and walked out without looking back, stepping into the brilliant sunlight.
The moment she left the main hall, the strength she had mustered with great effort drained away like a receding tide. Her legs grew weak, her head heavy and unsteady.
Yaoying couldn’t help but tremble slightly.
Xie Qing’s hand supported her arm through her thin robe: “Your Highness, let me assist you.”
Composing herself, Yaoying leaned on Xie Qing’s support and descended the long steps one by one.
The square was bathed in blazing sunlight, the howling wind carrying the clear chimes of eaves bells.
“A-Qing, I am to marry into the Yelu Tribe.”
Yaoying lifted her head, gazing at the clear, cloudless blue sky.
“I will write you a letter of recommendation so you may enlist. The army is in need of talent, and with your exceptional martial skills, you are sure to distinguish yourself in the military.”
Xie Qing, supporting Yaoying with a respectful yet expressionless demeanor, replied, “I am Your Highness’s guard. Wherever you go, I shall follow.”
Yaoying looked at him: “Aren’t you afraid you might never return? The Yelu Tribe is nomadic, surviving by wandering and plundering. Once I go, I will never come back in this lifetime.”
The grasslands were even more turbulent and savage than the Central Plains, with tribes slaughtering one another. Though the Yelu Tribe was powerful now, it could fall beneath the iron hooves of other tribes in an instant, vanishing without a trace.
She had already prepared for the worst.
Xie Qing’s expression remained unchanged as he said calmly, “Then so be it—we shall never return.”
Yaoying smiled faintly.
Once they left the square, Yaoying trembled even more violently, her face covered in a fine sheen of cold sweat, her teeth chattering audibly.
Without a word, Xie Qing lifted her, wrapped her from head to toe in a cloak, held her close, and escorted her back to the prince’s residence.
The Chief Steward, seeing Yaoying shaking uncontrollably in pain, wept bitterly.
Yaoying clutched the steward’s hand and instructed him haltingly, “Hu Bo… I’ll be fine… In three days, I’ll recover. Send someone to bring my mother back…”
The steward nodded through his tears.
“It will be over soon…” Yaoying curled into a ball, “It will all be over soon… Mother and elder brother will be safe from now on…”
She fell into a deep sleep, a faint smile lingering at the corners of her lips.
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