Love Beyond the Grave

From the Emperor's eyes, Fang Xianye saw his own startled and tense reflection. He hesitated before speaking cautiously, "Perhaps some mishap occurred on the road..."

"All these years, I've allowed him to do whatever he wished. He is a commander of rare talent—no general in all of Great Liang surpasses him. But such a blade must remain in my grasp, and in the future, in Prince Jin's hands as well." The Emperor seemed uninterested in Fang Xianye's words, having fully awakened from his slumber. He turned his gaze to the ceiling and said coldly, "Song Yun has a sharp eye for people, and I have never misjudged anyone either. Duan Shunxi is indifferent to power and harbors no ambition. No ambition... yet no loyalty either."

After a pause, the Emperor turned back to Fang Xianye and asked, "Can such a man be allowed to remain?"

Fang Xianye's heart tightened. He immediately rose and stepped aside, kneeling with a sweep of his robe. "Your Majesty, the seventeen northern provinces beyond the Guan River are on the verge of being reclaimed. To act against Marshal Duan now would only grieve our allies and delight our enemies, allowing Danzhi to reap the benefits."

"The seventeen northern provinces beyond the Guan River..." The Emperor's laugh carried a hint of scorn. "Who knows whether those lands will one day bear the name Han or Duan?"

"Your Majesty just said yourself that Marshal Duan is not a man of wolfish ambition. Surely he would not—" In his urgency, Fang Xianye spoke without thinking, only to realize his blunder after a few words and fall silent.

The sun had fully set, and the flickering candlelight cast the room into dim obscurity, making the Emperor's expression unreadable. After a long silence, the Emperor murmured, "It seems Minister Fang is not at odds with Marshal Duan after all. In fact, you hold him in high esteem."

Fang Xianye clenched his teeth. "I act only for the sake of Great Liang's sovereignty."

The Emperor chuckled softly, then abruptly shifted the topic to Fang Xianye's earlier words. "Minister Fang once said you entered politics to reduce the suffering of the common people. Now that you stand outside Prince Jin's faction, realizing your ideals will be fraught with difficulty. But with the decree I grant you, you can rise swiftly and fulfill your ambitions."

"However, I must add one condition to this decree. I will ennoble you as Marquis Zhonghe and appoint you as Deputy Military Commissioner with authority over governance. At the same time, Duan Shunxi failed in his duty to protect the Emperor, displaying negligence and rebellious intent. Upon his return to the Southern Capital, he is to be stripped of his military authority and executed."

Fang Xianye looked up at the Emperor in shock. His mind in turmoil, he forgot all decorum and rose to approach the bedside. "Your Majesty... Marshal Duan is not—"

"Does Minister Fang intend to remain Duan Xu's shadow forever? He comes from noble lineage and has countless shadows at his disposal. But your opportunity comes only once." The Emperor ignored Fang Xianye's breach of protocol and said calmly, "Minister Fang, for the sake of power, even fathers and brothers turn on one another."

Fang Xianye stared blankly at the Emperor, whose dark eyes burned with deep-seated fury.

And beneath that fury lay something even more profound—malice.

When Zhao Gonggong returned with the evening meal, the Emperor summoned Song Yun as well. In their presence, he drafted the secret decree, affixed the Imperial Seal, and handed it to Fang Xianye.

Under the weight of their gazes, Fang Xianye stiffly knelt and reached out to accept the decree. In a voice that did not sound like his own, he said, "Your servant accepts the decree."

The imperial edict in his hands was half-written with his own glory and half with Duan Xu's grave—the most venomous curse he had ever witnessed in his life.When the Emperor drifted back into unconsciousness, Fang Xianye said to Zhao Gonggong, "The time isn't ripe yet. Please keep this Secret Decree confidential and don't let any word leak out."

Zhao Gonggong smiled and replied, "Congratulations, my lord. This old servant understands completely and won't utter a single word. When the time comes that you need testimony, this servant will come forward for you."

Fang Xianye bowed. "Thank you, Gonggong."

After closing the door behind him, he walked with Master Song Yun beneath the temple eaves. The rustling trees cast dancing shadows in the profound silence. Turning a corner, he stopped and called out, "Master."

Master Song Yun turned to look at him. The elderly monk's hair and beard were white as snow, his face deeply lined, yet his expression remained as imperturbably calm as when Fang Xianye had first met him many years ago.

In Fang Xianye's true past, there had been no so-called tutor. After being sold multiple times, he'd ended up in Duan Chengzhang's household before being selected as the fake Duan Xu to be sent back to Dài Province. At fourteen, Duan Xu had saved him and brought him to the Southern Capital, entrusting him to Master Song Yun's care. He'd stayed at Jin'an Temple for some time, where he'd naturally "coincidentally" encountered Duke Pei who came to offer incense.

No one would have imagined that Duan Xu, who didn't believe in gods or buddhas, would be acquainted with the enlightened monk Song Yun. According to Master Song Yun, their connection began when five-year-old Duan Xu threw stones at him on the road, demanding he return his mother.

Now Master Song Yun looked at Fang Xianye and sighed, "Amitabha. The Emperor is this humble monk's good friend, and Duan Xu is my young friend. Regarding today's Imperial Decree, I shall act as though I never heard it."

Fang Xianye bowed deeply. "Thank you, Master."

The Emperor's brief moment of clarity proved to be merely the last flicker of consciousness before death. His condition rapidly deteriorated, and when he next awoke, he could no longer speak—only a final breath remained stuck in his throat, unable to be swallowed.

After more than ten days of chaotic fighting in the Southern Capital, Prince Su finally emerged victorious and captured Prince Ji alive. Declaring that the Emperor had died and passed the throne to him, Prince Su eagerly executed Prince Ji along with his army and advisors on charges of treason.

Song Yun sent word to Prince Jin, who took advantage of Prince Su's momentary relaxation to secretly remove the Emperor. Fang Xianye was finally able to leave Jin'an Temple and return to his own residence.

The once-prosperous streets of the Southern Capital now lay in ruins. The scent of burning vegetation hung everywhere, bloodstains still marked the ground, and bodies remained where they'd fallen. The formerly leisurely and elegant citizens now hurried through the streets with anxious expressions, never lingering.

To his surprise, Fang Xianye encountered Duan Jingyuan on the road.

Wrapped in a cloak with her maidservant, she was hurrying along when she spotted him and stopped in astonishment.

"How can you still be out walking in times like these!" Fang Xianye couldn't help exclaiming.

Duan Jingyuan removed her hood, revealing her delicate pink face in the gloom. Pressing her lips together, she said, "We've run out of Rose Dew. I absolutely had to come buy more. No one else knows how to pick the good ones."

"You..." Fang Xianye didn't know what to say to her.

"Besides, Prince Su has won now. Prince Su is who Father supports—the situation favors us." At this point, Duan Jingyuan paused and asked hesitantly, "But you... will you be alright?"Fang Xianye rubbed his temples and urged her to hurry home. But the rope of the cloth bag in her hand loosened, and as the bottles inside were about to fall to the ground, Fang Xianye quickly caught them for her, placed them back into the bag, and tied it securely with a knot. He warned her not to go out again anytime soon.

Duan Jingyuan walked home, her head lowered as she stared at the cloth bag in her hand, tied neatly with a six-petal flower knot. She tugged at the knot and murmured softly, "Does he know how to tie this too..."

She had thought only her third brother knew how to make this knot.

Prince Su soon convened the court assembly. Dressed in imperial robes and a crown, he sat majestically on the dragon throne, his face brimming with triumph. Fang Xianye, clad in red court attire, stood among the many ministers in the hall. Many of them wore uneasy expressions—a new emperor’s ascension always meant bloodshed, though no one knew who would be the first to fall.

While Prince Su’s trusted aide was still spouting grandiose formalities, a commotion suddenly erupted outside the hall. The young Prince Jin led the way, followed by servants carrying a sedan chair bearing the barely conscious Emperor into the grand hall. The courtiers immediately erupted into chaos, and even Prince Su was stunned.

Prince Jin passionately accused Prince Su of attempting to imprison the Emperor within the palace, plotting to murder him and seize the throne. Without giving Prince Su a chance to refute, he turned to the Emperor and asked loudly, "Father, is what I’ve said true? Who is the one who sought to imprison and kill you?"

The Emperor, far weaker than when he had left Jin’an Temple, laboriously raised his hand and pointed at Prince Su.

"Shall I execute this traitor for you, Father?"

The Emperor slowly nodded.

"Nonsense! Absolute nonsense! Father has been deceived by villains—it is you, Prince Jin, who has abducted him!" Prince Su, his face deathly pale, shouted from the throne and ordered his men to seize Prince Jin. Prince Jin refused to back down, and his hidden forces clashed with Prince Su’s men. The courtiers screamed and scattered in panic. Fang Xianye followed the crowd, dodging the chaos, and took shelter behind a pillar. From there, he gazed at the Emperor on the sedan chair. The sovereign, long tormented by illness, let his raised hand fall limply to his side. His eyes, weary and clouded, slowly closed.

He had held on until this very moment. A ruler, after all, must see his plans come to fruition.

Yet in the midst of the pandemonium—torn curtains, rivers of blood, and scattered corpses—no one noticed the Emperor had breathed his last. Or perhaps someone had, but at this moment, it was not the most pressing matter.

A sharp cry rang out. Fang Xianye turned to see Prince Su’s body crumple to the ground in a twisted heap, blood pooling beneath him and staining the crown that had fallen nearby. Prince Su had worn that crown for barely half an hour before it was tainted with his own blood.

Prince Jin and his men were shouting something, but Fang Xianye paid little attention. Instead, he stared at Prince Su’s lifeless body, his unseeing eyes fixed on the Emperor.

Fang Xianye felt his heart pounding violently, tangled in shock and gloom as he witnessed the filthiest chaos in the most revered place on earth.

—For power, even fathers and brothers would turn on each other.

Just then, a crisp voice cut through the bloodshed and disorder.

"Report!"

The soldier who rushed into the hall seemed momentarily stunned by the scene before him, but he dutifully delivered his message."Victory! Great Liang has won! You Province has been taken!"

Amid the clamor of voices, Fang Xianye stood frozen in place, feeling as though his heart had finally found solid ground, allowing him at last to exhale a long-held breath of turbid air.

In the third month of the fifteenth year of Tianyuan, Great Liang annihilated thirty thousand enemy troops at You Province Comforting Sight and occupied the entire territory of You Province, while Feng Province was also successfully captured. The Emperor passed away, plunging the Southern Capital into two months of chaos, during which Prince Ji and Prince Su met their deaths.

In the fifth month of the fifteenth year of Tianyuan, Prince Jin ascended the throne, changing the era name to Xinhe the following year.

In the ninth month of the fifteenth year of Tianyuan, Great Liang's army occupied Qing Province, and Danzhi sued for peace.

In the eleventh month of the fifteenth year of Tianyuan, the Emperor summoned Duan Xu, Grand Marshal of All Under Heaven's Armies, back to the Southern Capital. Duan Xu answered the summons.