Chang'an, Taiji Palace.
The twilight hour approached, casting dim light. Eunuchs holding short candles lit the tapers on the gilded lampstands one by one, then moved near the imperial desk. The suanni beast censer emitted waves of light tulip fragrance.
Li De was bent over reviewing memorials, just reading the surrender petition submitted by the Meng clan of Western Shu when the beaded curtain swayed gently. Urgent footsteps echoed from beyond the screen.
"Your Majesty!"
A eunuch, face pale and forehead sweating, rushed into the inner chamber. His knees buckled, sliding into a kneel before the imperial desk.
"The Crown Prince has returned!"
Li De froze, brows furrowing slightly as he set down the surrender petition. "Why has he returned ahead of schedule?"
The eunuch trembled uncontrollably, words tumbling out incoherently. "Your Majesty... the Golden Guard's right commander begs you to temporarily retreat to the rear hall. The Crown Prince... His Highness..."
Li De's face darkened. "What about the Crown Prince?"
The eunuch knelt prostrate on the ground, carefully weighing his words, voice trembling faintly. "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince entered the palace without imperial summons. The Golden Guard dared not permit his entry into the hall, yet His Highness forced his way in!"
Li De stiffened, rising with a stormy expression. The eunuch hurried forward to support him toward the rear hall, but was shoved away abruptly.
The eunuch fell to the ground, not daring to make a sound, scrambling up immediately and stumbling after Li De.
Candle flames flickered as shadowy figures crowded before the hall entrance amid chaotic noise. Golden Guard members stood guard at the steps with drawn longswords, loudly rebuking someone amidst disorderly footsteps.
When Li De emerged from the inner chamber, the Golden Guard at the door looked terrified, kneeling to plead: "Your Majesty, we beg you to take shelter—"
Before the sentence finished, Li De had already walked past him.
The Golden Guard members exchanged horrified glances, hearts pounding and foreheads sweating, reluctantly following behind.
Li De stood at the corridor's edge, hands clasped behind his back.
Below the steps, a tall figure advanced against the human tide, step by step mounting the moon platform. Clad in dark robes sharp as a blade, he carried a sword.
With but one glance, Li De could recognize his son's silhouette.
Li Xuanzhen had come alone. Though his actions constituted offense, they didn't warrant death. Knowing Li De's high regard for him, the Golden Guard dared not injure him, instead surrounding him densely to prevent sudden violence.
The Golden Guard desperately urged Li De: "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince appears deranged! We beg you to take shelter!"
Li De's gaze remained ominous.
"Restrain him. Do no harm."
Receiving this command, the Golden Guard gained some confidence. Clasping fists in acknowledgment, they abandoned swords for spears, lunging forward to first attempt disarming Li Xuanzhen.
Li Xuanzhen's expression remained tranquil, phoenix eyes fixed on Li De beyond the crowd. He swept his sword, severing the spear shafts, and continued advancing.
Amid flashing steel, he harmed no one yet maintained defenses impregnable as fortress walls, steadily approaching the corridor.
The Golden Guard had no choice but to signal. Guards from front and rear halls, receiving orders, gritted teeth and surged forward like tidal waves toward Li Xuanzhen. Within silvery sword glints, over a dozen large hands simultaneously seized his arms and legs.
Immobilized, Li Xuanzhen let his longsword clatter to the ground.
The Golden Guard exulted, swiftly kicking the sword away and twisting his arms behind him.
Li Xuanzhen still wore that faint expression, standing below the steps while gazing intently at Li De in the corridor.
"Your Majesty..." the captain cautiously inquired, "The Crown Prince has acted improperly without restraint. How should he be dealt with?"
Li De's face clouded over completely as he turned to enter the hall. "Bring him inside!"
The assembled crowd exchanged uneasy glances, not daring to utter a single word.Li Xuanzhen's expression was vastly different from usual, his eyes brimming with fierce and vicious hostility. The Golden Guard, uneasy and fearing unforeseen trouble, bound his hands behind his back and carefully checked that he had no other weapons hidden on his person before escorting him to the inner hall.
Li De stood before the imperial desk, his face flushed with anger, and waved for everyone else to withdraw.
The lieutenant general inwardly lamented his predicament but clasped his fists and retreated.
Once the sound of footsteps faded away, Li De walked up to Li Xuanzhen and, with a sharp crack, delivered a heavy slap to his son.
As a military man, Li De held back none of his strength. The blow sent Li Xuanzhen tumbling onto the golden-brick floor, blood trickling from the corner of his lips.
"Who couldn't you have emulated? Why did you have to imitate Li Zhongqian?"
Li De's voice was icy. "I am the emperor. The palace is heavily guarded. Did you think you could barge in alone and kill me? If I hadn't stepped out to stop the Golden Guard, they could have killed you on the spot! As the crown prince of this nation, drawing your sword and storming the palace in public—if this gets out, how will you command respect in the future? How will you intimidate the ministers? I can enthrone you, and I can also depose you!"
"Where is the strategy and restraint you usually display?"
Li De knew Li Xuanzhen wanted him dead, but he never expected his son to be so reckless and impulsive! His wings were not yet fully grown, yet he dared to attempt a solo assault on the palace!
He said coldly, "Zhangnu, if you truly want to kill me, you should bide your time, gather followers, win over hearts. Even if you can't achieve perfection, at the very least, you should render me powerless to retaliate, silence the court officials, and leave no openings for the other princes to exploit!"
"Your actions today were utterly foolish!"
Li Xuanzhen lifted his face, the blood at his lips stark red, his demeanor bordering on madness. "I am indeed foolish. If I had learned from Li Zhongqian sooner, how could things have come to this?"
Li De looked at his son's swollen face, suppressed his anger, and softened his tone slightly. "Zhangnu, you are the son I cherish most. Li Zhongqian is trying to drive a wedge between us, father and son. How could you fall for his schemes?"
Li Xuanzhen remained unmoved, his gaze toward Li De filled only with loathing.
"What need is there for others to sow discord between us, father and son?"
"Li De, I should have killed you long ago... back when Mother died, I should have acted then."
Li De was the Grand General of Wei Commandery, a military commander constantly surrounded by fierce generals. With the Central Plains fragmented and the situation unstable, Li Xuanzhen had neither the confidence to kill Li De nor the ability to manage the ensuing chaos, which would only plunge more people into displacement and suffering. So he continued to play the role of the filial son, leading the Wei army in battles to quell unrest and assisting Li De in establishing the Great Wei.
The day the empire was unified would be the day he would take Li De's life.
He constantly remembered Tang Shi's dying instructions, living his life for revenge. He could wait.
But now he could wait no longer.
He was tired and sought release.
"Mother told me to kill you, to kill the Xie family. Whatever Mother said, I would obey... I have failed Mother..."
Tears glistened in Li Xuanzhen's eyes.
Li De looked at his son, sighed wearily, and waved his hand.
"I will handle today's incident. You should go back now and reflect on your actions calmly."
Li Xuanzhen sneered, "How does Your Majesty plan to handle it?"
Li De rubbed his temples. "I will cover up for you."
Li Zhongqian was unruly and defiant, his reputation long ruined. His grief over losing his sister and his public assassination attempt did not surprise the court officials, and many pleaded on his behalf.Li Xuanzhen was different—he was the Crown Prince, the heir to the throne. Today’s events must never be allowed to spread beyond these walls!
The eunuchs huddled in the corners trembled uncontrollably, a chill creeping up from their feet and spreading through their entire bodies.
The Crown Prince had stormed into the palace openly, tearing all pretense of civility with the Emperor. Every single person present today would be implicated, without exception!
The Chief Eunuch closed his eyes in despair. Serving the Emperor was like taming a tiger—one misstep could be fatal.
Amid the oppressive silence, a few mocking laughs broke the stillness. Li Xuanzhen curled his lips into a smirk. "Your Majesty need not trouble yourself on my account. Matters between you and me should not involve others."
He could muster troops and attack the Taiji Palace, but the timing was not yet right. He still lacked the strength to contend with Li De. A rash attempt to seize the throne would only drag more innocent people into the fray.
He was tired of waiting.
Li De’s brow twitched sharply. "What have you done?"
Li Xuanzhen sneered coldly. "What I should have done long ago."
As soon as the words left his mouth, a eunuch’s terrified, trembling shriek echoed from beyond the beaded curtain: "Your Majesty! The Prince of Han’s son has arrived!"
Li De froze. The beaded curtain swayed violently as a figure stumbled into the hall, collapsing to the floor, trembling and weeping uncontrollably.
A pungent smell of blood filled the air.
Li De looked down. The Prince of Han’s son was his nephew. The Prince of Han had fought alongside him in countless campaigns, earning his title through merit.
The young man knelt at his feet, disheveled and shaking like a leaf, sobbing with snot and tears streaming down his face. His robes were in disarray, reeking of filth, and blood dripped steadily from his sleeves and hem, pooling on the golden-brick floor in a long, crimson trail.
Li De turned his gaze to Li Xuanzhen. "What have you done?"
Before Li Xuanzhen could respond, the Prince of Han’s son let out another wail, crying even louder. He pressed his forehead to the floor, knocking it repeatedly against the ground with loud thuds.
"Your Majesty! The Crown Prince has gone mad! He killed my father! He killed my third uncle, my fourth uncle… six men, six living souls! All slain by the Crown Prince’s sword! Every guest in our manor witnessed it! The Crown Prince must be insane! He slaughtered his own kin—even his own uncles!"
"Your Majesty! My father followed you into battle, serving loyally at your side. He contributed greatly to the empire and deserved to live out his years in peace. Yet he died unjustly, brutally murdered by the Crown Prince’s sword!"
"The Crown Prince is deranged, cruel, and vicious! How can such a murderer be fit to be the heir? As a son, I cannot stand by and watch my father die unjustly without seeking justice! If Your Majesty does not give me and the other members of the Li clan an explanation, I will risk my life to demand justice for my father!"
The hall fell into dead silence. No one dared to speak. Only the Prince of Han’s son’s weeping echoed through every corner of the inner chamber.
From his fragmented account, everyone pieced together what had happened.
That day, the Prince of Han’s manor had hosted a grand banquet, attended entirely by members of the Li clan. As the wine flowed and spirits ran high, Li Xuanzhen suddenly appeared. The guests were both shocked and delighted, eager to ask him about the war on the front lines. But without warning, he drew his sword and slew the Prince of Han.
Chaos erupted instantly.
The manor guards drew their blades and rushed forward, but they were no match for Li Xuanzhen. Alone, with only his sword, he cut a bloody path from the main hall to the inner courtyard, personally killing six members of the Li clan. Drenched in blood, his eyes crimson, he looked like a demon risen from the depths of hell.
Now, the Prince of Han’s manor was filled with the sound of weeping. The Prince of Han’s wife had fainted three times from grief.Li De's aged face twitched slightly as he stared at Li Xuanzhen, his entire body trembling. After a long silence, he suddenly let out a muffled groan and collapsed backward.
"Your Majesty!"
"Sage Lord!"
Eunuchs swarmed forward to support Li De.
Pushing the eunuchs away, Li De vomited a mouthful of blood with a retching sound, his finger pointing straight at Li Xuanzhen: "Wretched beast! Wretched beast!"
Having publicly slain his own clansmen, the incident must have already spread throughout Chang'an—how could this be resolved?
Li Xuanzhen's narrow phoenix eyes lifted slightly, sweeping over the weeping Prince of Han's heir. A fierce, ruthless aura flashed in their depths.
Having witnessed six clansmen being slaughtered, the Prince of Han's heir had long been terrified out of his wits by Li Xuanzhen. Seeing him display the same ferocious demeanor before Li De, he felt a chill run down his spine and scrambled outward on all fours: "The Crown Prince is going to kill the witnesses!"
Li Xuanzhen paid him no mind. Seizing the moment when everyone's attention was on the Prince of Han's heir, he suddenly sprang up, leaping toward the imperial desk. With a metallic clang, he drew the sword resting beside it and pointed the tip directly at Li De.
The crowd gasped in horror, rushing forward to intervene.
Li Xuanzhen swept aside the eunuchs lunging at him with one palm, the sword tip inching slowly into Li De's right shoulder.
Li De did not evade.
Everyone's legs trembled: they wouldn't hesitate to shoot Li Zhongqian, but now the assailant was the Crown Prince. Without Li De's order, who would dare truly strike to kill Li Xuanzhen?
Li Xuanzhen gripped Li De's shoulder, continuing to exert force: "Father, do you know why I killed the Li clansmen?"
Furious, Li De struck out with a palm, the force behind it formidable.
Li Xuanzhen's sword flew from his hand, but he recklessly pressed forward.
Startled, Li De feared injuring his son and gritted his teeth to retract both palms. Turning his wrists, he struck Li Xuanzhen with the back of his hand instead, sending him tumbling before the imperial desk.
A eunuch tremblingly approached to tend to Li De's wound, but Li De shoved him aside and pulled the sword from his shoulder.
Beaded curtains swayed as the Golden Guard arrived.
Li De barked sharply: "All of you, withdraw!"
The Golden Guard exchanged glances, then retreated behind the screen with bitter smiles.
Li De tossed the sword aside. "Why did you kill your uncles?"
Li Xuanzhen stared at him coldly. "That year when rebel forces stormed Wei Commandery... everyone else escaped. Only my mother and I were trapped inside the city. Did you think that was a coincidence?"
Li De's pupils dilated abruptly.
Li Xuanzhen climbed to his feet and continued: "The rebels were deliberately let into the city because they wanted my mother and me dead. At that time, were you already discussing marriage alliances with other noble families?"
Li De's expression darkened.
Li Xuanzhen regarded his father with an icy gaze: "You were a great general. Everyone said you would become a regional overlord. They claimed my mother wasn't worthy of you—they wanted a main wife who could bring advantages to the Li family. The Prince of Han was garrisoned at Wei Commandery then. He knew full well my mother and I were trapped, yet he deliberately withheld rescue, delaying reinforcements..."
He closed his eyes briefly.
"That night, they locked the gates from the outside and set a fire, trying to burn us alive. My mother and I escaped, but rebel soldiers were everywhere. I cried in terror, and my mother comforted me, saying, 'Your father is a great hero. Once we find him, no one will dare bully us.'"
He opened his eyes, his phoenix gaze desolate.
"Li De, amidst the chaos of war, my mother was just a defenseless woman with a child in tow. Do you have any idea what she suffered?"Li De’s eyes widened abruptly, his hands trembling.
Li Xuanzhen remained expressionless.
Li De took a step forward, clutching Li Xuanzhen’s collar tightly. His aged face contorted fiercely, stripped of its usual composure.
“Have you gone mad, to slander your own mother like this?”
Li Xuanzhen met his gaze. “You will never know how much suffering Mother and I endured.”
Li De’s face turned ashen, almost ghostly, his teeth chattering. He released his grip and staggered backward.
Li Xuanzhen stared straight at him. “After all Mother went through, she thought finding you would make everything right. And then we found you… You were in the midst of marrying a woman from the Xie family. In front of Mother, you vowed to that woman that you would never betray her.”
“Never betray her”—the very words Li De had sworn on the night he married Tang Ying.
Li De lost his balance, collapsing with a crash before the imperial desk, overturning the lion-shaped incense burner. His face twisted in agony. “Why didn’t she tell me? Why?!”
“Tell you?” Li Xuanzhen’s gaze was icy. “Tell you while you were marrying another woman, only to be abandoned by you again?”
Tang Ying no longer trusted Li De. She stayed by his side only because she had accepted reality.
So when she argued with the Li clan members and the Xie family’s maids and overheard the Li clan insinuating that she was unworthy of being a lady, she was both shocked and enraged, suspecting that the Xie family knew what she had endured during her flight from disaster.
Li Xuanzhen spoke each word deliberately. “Mother was just an ordinary woman with little worldly experience. She was so terrified that she went into premature labor. The child was born lifeless.”
Li De’s face turned deathly pale, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.
Yingniang had miscarried?
“Mother had already made arrangements for the child to be buried quietly. Later, my wet nurse told me that if everyone knew Mother had miscarried, they would assume she took her own life out of grief and despair. That way, how could you ever forget her? So she asked the wet nurse to keep it a secret. On the day you returned home, she set the courtyard ablaze. Only in this way could she make you remember her for life, burdened with guilt forever.”
In death, she preserved her reputation and secured the position of heir for Li Xuanzhen.
Li De would never forget her.
Li Xuanzhen picked up the sword from the ground. “Mother got what she wanted… But she never asked me whether I wanted to be the heir.”
In the chaos of the times, he had no other desires. All he wanted was to live peacefully with his mother. He had urged Tang Ying not to contend with the Xie family, his only wish being to see an end to the turmoil so that everyone could live in peace and stability.
When he learned that his mother was pregnant again, he was overjoyed.
As the elder brother, he would protect his younger siblings, sheltering them under his care, ensuring they grew up free from worries.
But his sister died at birth, never given the chance to grow up.
His mother died too, her mind unhinged at the end, demanding that he avenge her.
Li Xuanzhen knelt before his mother, tearfully swearing an oath.
He hated Li De, hated this chaotic era, hated everyone. He wanted them all to pay with their lives for his mother.
Guilt over his mother robbed him of reason, making him erratic and unpredictable.
He knew Li Yaoying was innocent, softening time and again, only to harden his heart each time he remembered his mother."I have already investigated thoroughly. The person who ordered the servants to lock the courtyard gate that night has died by my sword. When you married the Xie family's daughter, those who prevented my mother and me from attending the ceremony were not from the Xie family—they were members of the Li clan."
"I have killed them all."
"I could not fulfill all of my mother's dying wishes. I have failed her. When I descend to the underworld, I will beg her forgiveness."
Li Xuanzhen turned and strode toward the imperial desk, raising his sword to strike.
"Crown Prince, stop!"
A sharp whistling sound pierced the air as an arrow shot through the atmosphere, embedding itself fiercely into Li Xuanzhen's shoulder.
Li Xuanzhen did not even flinch, his sword still descending toward Li De.
The Golden Guard, eyes wide with fury, lunged forward to block the devastating blow, shielding Li De as they tumbled several times.
Others continued to fire arrows.
Li Xuanzhen's expression remained numb as he raised his sword once more.
Night after night, he was tormented by nightmares, neither human nor ghost. Only during his time at Chibi did he find brief peace, free from the haunting dreams.
A Yue, who had brought him that fleeting tranquility, had been sent to her doom by his own hands.
He had brought this upon himself.
A faint smile touched Li Xuanzhen's lips.
Arrows rained down like a spider's web, enveloping him.
With a smile still on his lips, he collapsed.
"No!"
Li De pushed the Golden Guard aside and scrambled to his feet. "All of you, cease fire!"
The Golden Guard hastily lowered their bows.
Li De stepped over the scattered arrows and rushed to Li Xuanzhen's side, lifting him up.
Covered in blood, Li Xuanzhen struggled to grasp an arrow and thrust it toward Li De.
Li De brushed his hand aside. "Zhangnu, have you gone mad?"
Was he forcing Li De to order the Golden Guard to kill him? He was the Crown Prince, the future emperor—the entire empire was being left to him. Why did he scorn it so?
Li Xuanzhen grinned, his teeth stained crimson with blood. "Li De, either you die, or I perish..."
Only this could bring him release.
He wanted to be his mother's Changsheng slave, not the heir whose position was bought with his mother's life!
Li De's eyes blazed with fury.
...
Half an hour later, news spread from the Taiji Palace: Crown Prince Li Xuanzhen had gone mad after drinking, mistakenly killing the Prince of Han and others. Enraged, Li De ordered him imprisoned in the dungeon.
The world was stunned.
The Li clan was deeply dissatisfied. Several princesses donned mourning attire and knelt weeping before the palace gates. Court officials submitted memorials of impeachment, but Li De suppressed them with ruthless efficiency. Days later, the Dali Temple uncovered dozens of crimes committed by the Prince of Han, including reckless disregard for human life, seizing commoners, accepting bribes, and usurping fertile lands. The Prince of Han's heir was also implicated and imprisoned for his crimes.
Li De executed a number of noble relatives but did not stop there. Instead, he continued to investigate the imperial clan, plunging everyone into fear. Seizing the opportunity, he exiled several princes with merciless severity, leaving court officials too terrified to speak.
Throughout this period, Li De repeatedly sent messengers to persuade Li Xuanzhen, but Li Xuanzhen remained silent.
Two days later, Crown Princess Zheng Biyu entered the palace and met her husband in the dungeon.
"Dalang..." She handed him a wax-sealed parchment scroll. "This was sent back from Yi Province."
Li Xuanzhen did not move.
Zheng Biyu whispered, "Princess Wenzhao is still alive."
Li Xuanzhen stiffened, his eyes snapping open.
"What did you say?" he rasped.
Zheng Biyu replied, "When you sent Zhu Lvyun to Yi Province, your men inadvertently discovered that Princess Wenzhao is still alive. She was captured by Haidu Aling."Zhu Lvyun had vanished without reason, yet Li Xuanzhen showed neither concern nor inquiry. Zheng Biyu was left utterly perplexed, unable to find any explanation until Du Sinan delivered this piece of parchment.
It turned out Li Xuanzhen was the one who had sent her away. Zhu Lvyun wished to reunite with her aunt, and he granted her wish while discreetly stationing his personal guards near her to uncover the spies Northern Rong had planted in Great Wei. His earlier pretense of ignorance regarding Zhu Lvyun’s whereabouts was merely to mislead the Northern Rong.
This man had orchestrated everything for everyone.
He had prepared himself to face death.
Zheng Biyu gazed into Li Xuanzhen's eyes and whispered, "Eldest Young Master, you cannot kill His Majesty now... Your heart still holds attachments. Princess Wenzhao is your unresolved burden. She still lives—go find her. You were the one who sent her away back then, and now it should be you who brings her back."
"This is what you owe her."
Li Xuanzhen hung his head, clutching the parchment scroll tightly, the veins on the back of his hand bulging.
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