The hall was as silent as death, with only the white incense smoke curling up from the beast-mouthed lid of the gilded incense burner, lingering like unbroken threads.
"What if I refuse?" Pei You'an's voice came, somber and measured.
"I know you were born with a rebellious spirit, acknowledging neither ruler nor father!"
Xiao Lie's face tightened with tension.
"Ci'er is your son. If you forcibly take him from me, I truly can do nothing to stop you, nor can I punish you! But You'an, there is one thing you likely do not yet know. The Pacification General at today's victory ceremony—do you know who he is?"
The emperor sat even straighter, enunciating each word: "He is Dong Chengmao!"
Pei You'an's gaze froze abruptly.
"Surprised?" The emperor smiled faintly.
"You'an, these years beyond the frontier, there is much you likely do not know. Let me tell you—not only has Dong Chengmao pledged allegiance to me, but even Xiao Yu, for whom you once risked your head, is now in my grasp!"
"I need not hide this. Four years ago, shortly after you left for the frontier, he came to the capital himself to see me, declaring he wished to burden no one further. I respected his integrity, but heaven cannot have two suns. I should have killed him long ago—not out of personal enmity, but for the sake of the realm. Yet I spared him then, out of consideration for you."
"I swear upon the fate of Great Wei: I will not kill him. I will let him flee overseas. So long as neither he nor his descendants ever set foot on Great Wei's soil again, from this day forth, I shall never trouble him again!"
"I have conceded one step. Now I ask you to concede one to me. Let Ci'er return to his ancestral roots, take the surname Xiao, and become heir to Great Wei's throne."
"On the day the imperial grandson is formally invested, Xiao Yu shall walk free. Do you accept?"
"If you refuse, you may take your wife and child and leave the palace now. I shall select another from the imperial clan to succeed me."
"And I will execute Xiao Yu, eliminating this threat once and for all!"
The emperor's voice, heavy and icy, echoed through the hall's corners.
Pei You'an's fingers slowly clenched into fists, knuckles cracking audibly.
"This realm is mine to bestow upon whomever I choose! And now I mean to pass it to my own grandson—what could be more natural?"
A faint red tinge surfaced in Pei You'an's eyes as he gritted his teeth and advanced step by step toward the emperor.
Xiao Lie remained unmoved, sneering, "Do you mean to commit regicide?"
He drew the Longquan sword resting on the desk and extended it forward: "If you lack the courage to kill me, then kneel, beg forgiveness, and give thanks!"
Pei You'an gripped the hilt with one hand and the blade with the other, his figure petrified.
After a long moment, the white blade slowly bent into an arch between his hands.
Suddenly, with a sharp metallic snap, the sword shattered violently in half.
Blood gushed forth, streaming from Pei You'an's palm, splattering onto the floor beneath him, staining it crimson.
"When I left Suyeh City, the barbarians were already stirring. I must return soon. I have no crimes to confess, no favors to thank."
"To the common people, you are a wise ruler. But the greatest regret of my life is sharing your blood!"
He released his grip. With a prolonged clang, both hilt and blade fell to the ground together.
Pei You'an turned and strode out.Xiao Lie's gaze slowly lifted from the pool of blood on the floor, settling on Pei You'an's retreating figure.
His hands began to tremble, his face turning ashen. Suddenly, he stood up violently.
"Halt! You unfilial rebel!"
With a thunderous crash, the heavy sandalwood-framed imperial desk inlaid with pine-patterned jade before Xiao Lie was overturned, sending its contents scattering across the floor.
"I remember clearly the moment I dug you out from that pile of corpses when you were sixteen—how overjoyed and grateful I was! I would have gladly given my own life for yours, let alone compensation! Yet you've disappointed me time and again! It's not I who forced you to this point—you drove me to act this way! If you refuse to acknowledge me as your father, so be it! But when I wish to pass this empire to my grandson, you still defy me? Fine, fine... go then..."
As Jiafu arrived outside the hall, she heard the sounds of furniture being overturned and the emperor's roars within. The courtyard stood empty, all attendants having been dismissed by Li Yuangui, who now paced anxiously before the doors. Spotting Jiafu, he hurried to meet her.
Her heart pounding, Jiafu pushed open the tightly shut doors without hesitation and rushed inside, only to freeze at the sight before her.
Pei You'an stood sideways in the center of the hall, pale-faced and silent, a cold smile playing on his lips. Blood dripped continuously from a deep gash across his left palm.
Behind the overturned imperial desk stood the emperor, eyes blazing with fury, nostrils flaring, his face dark with rage as he gasped for breath. At his feet lay a bloodstained broken sword amid scattered papers, brushes, inkstones, and seals—a scene of utter chaos.
"Cousin!"
With a cry, Jiafu dashed to Pei You'an's side, seizing his bleeding hand. Seeing the wound nearly reaching the bone, she tore a strip from her skirt and tightly bound it to stem the flow.
"I'm fine. Don't be afraid. You should leave..."
Pei You'an seemed to finally regain his senses. Turning, he gently rested his uninjured hand on Jiafu's shoulder and spoke softly.
Without a word, Jiafu pushed him away and knelt.
"Your Majesty! Husband! Only as a mother have I come to understand a mother's heart. Could Aunt's unwavering resolve have been for such a scene as this today? How could her spirit rest in heaven seeing this! I beg Your Majesty, I beg my husband—no matter how great your grievances, consider carefully before acting, lest actions become irreversible and regret follows too late!"
She kowtowed deeply to the emperor, then turned toward Pei You'an to do the same, but he swiftly stepped forward to stop her.
"Fu'er!"
Eyes reddening, Pei You'an helped Jiafu rise from the floor.
Again she pushed him away and walked to where the emperor stood frozen, then knelt before him."Your Majesty, he is usually quite strict with Ci'er. The child is only three years old, yet when he makes mistakes, he often reprimands him harshly. As a result, Ci'er feels restrained in his presence and no longer acts naturally or seeks closeness. Yet in truth, he loves this child deeply—it's just that Ci'er is still too young to understand the stern love of a father. I suppose this is the universal hardship of all fathers. Your Majesty, loving the crow for the sake of the phoenix, wishes to recognize Ci'er as part of the imperial lineage. This would be an immense blessing for the child, and my husband and I should be overwhelmed with gratitude. However, from now on, though father and son are clearly bound by blood, they can no longer address each other as such. The natural bond between them will be severed, and this pain—this visceral agony—is something only those who have experienced the separation of flesh and blood, who have seen yet been unable to acknowledge their own kin, could possibly comprehend. It was in this moment of abrupt shock and inability to accept this reality that he offended Your Majesty's dignity."
"I humbly beseech Your Majesty to reconsider this matter. Even if Your Majesty's divine judgment remains unchanged, I implore you to grant him more time. Among the countless millions in this world, to be born as father and son is a rare blessing bestowed by heaven. Men are not grass or trees—the bond between father and child, thicker than blood, cannot be severed so abruptly."
As Jiafu finished speaking, tears streamed down her face. She kowtowed once more to the emperor, her forehead pressed to the ground, and remained motionless for a long time.
The hall fell silent again.
Pei You'an stared fixedly at Jiafu's kneeling figure.
The emperor stood as still as a stone pillar. Only the sound of his labored breathing gradually softened, and the terrifying livid hue on his face slowly faded, replaced by a pallid gray. He seemed to have lost all strength as he slowly sank back onto the imperial throne.
Pei You'an stepped forward, helped Jiafu to her feet, and led her out of the hall.
...
The echoes of the emperor's fiftieth birthday celebrations had scarcely faded when, just days later, an urgent military dispatch from the garrison at Sword Gate Pass arrived on the imperial desk.
Scouts reported that the northern tribes had gathered three hundred thousand cavalry from dozens of clans at their royal court, swearing blood oaths, and were suspected of preparing to march south imminently.
If the reports were true, this would mark the first major confrontation between Great Wei and the northern tribes since the great war thirty years prior.
In recent days, court officials had been speculating about the rumors surrounding the child at the Noon Gate Tower, doing everything possible to uncover more details from the palace. Yet not a single whisper had leaked from the inner court. The ministers could only wait for the emperor's next move, but since the grand ceremony, His Majesty had remained eerily silent, leaving them perplexed. Suddenly, the war report arrived, diverting all attention. The Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue urgently convened an imperial conference to mobilize troops and prepare provisions and funds for the impending conflict.
The atmosphere in the court grew tense almost overnight.
Pei You'an had visited Banana Garden that day to see his son. After leaving the palace, Jiafu and Ci'er continued to stay in the West Garden's Banana Garden.
She had already learned that he would return to the frontier tomorrow to lead the army in preparation for war, and her heart was heavy.
Though the emperor had taken no further action in recent days, he still refused to let her and her son leave the palace. Moreover, since that day, she had not seen Pei You'an again—likely because he was no longer permitted to enter the palace.
The night deepened, and Ci'er fell asleep. Jiafu lay beside her son, but how could she sleep? As she tossed and turned, she suddenly heard footsteps in the courtyard.
Those footsteps—she knew them all too well.Jiafu's heart raced as she quickly threw on her clothes and got out of bed. Without even lighting a lamp, she slipped on her shoes and hurried out of the inner chamber to the outer room. Opening the door, she saw a figure standing there.
"Cousin!"
With a soft, delighted cry, Jiafu threw herself into his arms.
Pei You'an embraced her, kissing her fervently as he pressed her against the doorframe. Suddenly, he lifted her entirely and carried her to a daybed beside a folding screen, laying her down before covering her once more.
He was impatient, urgent, and overwhelmingly strong—almost to the point of hurting her—like an inexperienced youth still new to such intimacies.
In the quiet darkness of the night, Jiafu's soft, restrained gasps could be heard, as if she feared waking their son sleeping in the inner chamber. The sounds were swallowed before they could escape, melting into endless tenderness.
Finally, Pei You'an let out a long exhale and held Jiafu close, both of them squeezed onto the slightly narrow daybed as he drifted into a deep sleep.
This spring night had at last become one filled with peace.
Jiafu closed her eyes and, nestled in his embrace, slowly fell asleep as well.
In the latter half of the night, she awoke to find herself back in the bed of the inner chamber, her son's small figure sleeping soundly beside her.
She sat up, climbed out of bed, and walked outside. Through the half-open door, she saw Pei You'an sitting on the stone steps outside, his moonlit silhouette cast against the night.
Jiafu approached and sat beside him, gently kissing his injured, bandaged hand.
Pei You'an pulled her into his lap, wrapping his outer robe around her. Under the moonlight, their figures merged into one.
"Fu'er, today I met General Dong. He told me that back then, Yu left without a word, leaving only a letter. He said everything had begun because of him, and so it should end with him. He urged General Dong and his brothers to let go of him—to wander freely or serve the court, no longer living a life of bloodshed. By the time General Dong chased him to the capital, it was already too late..."
He paused.
"At the time, I thought my plans were flawless, with no oversights. But I never imagined you would chase me beyond the frontier without hesitation. Nor did I expect Yu to return to the capital on his own..."
"He must be of age now... that foolish boy..."
He sighed softly.
Jiafu's mind flashed back to many years ago, when she had first rescued that young man by the docks of her family's home in Quanzhou.
The boy had bright eyes—even when trapped in the mire, on the brink of death, their clarity could not be dimmed.
"Cousin, if I hadn't followed you back then, even if you had arranged a life of luxury for me, I would never have been at peace. Xiao Yu must feel the same. Had he walked away then, even if he lived to old age, his heart would never have known rest. What he sought, I imagine, was peace of mind."
"You'll return tomorrow—take care of yourself. And don't worry, I'll stay here and look after our Ci'er."
Pei You'an lowered his head, his lips brushing lightly against the scar on her neck from that day, his embrace tightening around her inch by inch with infinite tenderness.
"Fu'er, I don't know what I did in my past life to deserve such fortune, to have you by my side in this one..."Jiafu gazed at the man's face under the moonlight, a slow smile spreading across her lips.
"Eldest Cousin, you saved me in my past life. I remember it clearly in this one. So even though you've forgotten me, I've clung to you anyway."
Pei You'an was momentarily taken aback, then assumed she was jesting. Though his heart was heavy, he still chuckled and held her tighter.
"Eldest Cousin, let's go inside. After you left the palace that day, Ci'er missed you. This morning while studying, he wrote some characters and said he wanted to show you."
Pei You'an and Jiafu entered, lit a lamp, and examined their son's writing under its glow. Setting it aside, they quietly approached the bed, looking at the small figure still deep in slumber. Pei You'an reached out and gently stroked the child's cheek.
The next morning, when Ci'er learned that his father was returning alone to Suyeh City to fight the bad men while he and his mother had to stay behind—unable to accompany him as they once had—he was heartbroken. Yet he firmly remembered his father's teachings: a man must not cry easily. Eyes brimming with unshed tears, he rubbed his reddened eyes and waved goodbye.
Pei You'an embraced both his wife and son tightly before releasing them and turning away.
...
Before his departure, Pei You'an left a memorial for Xiao Lie.
The memorial remained untouched in a corner of the imperial desk until the third morning. The emperor, having stayed up late to review the Ministry of Revenue's urgent wartime budget submission—a lengthy document spanning dozens of pages—finally set down his brush and massaged his temples. His gaze fell upon the memorial at the corner of the desk. After staring at it for a long while, he finally picked it up and unfolded it.
A few lines of bold, sweeping cursive script formed a verse:
"Endless weeping, endless laughter—
I pour out my heart to you.
Father and son, not bound by blood—do you know?
Lift your head, three pounds of iron at your nape."
Xiao Lie stared fixedly at the words for a long time before closing the memorial and shutting his eyes.
"Li Yuangui, bring Ci'er to me."
...
In the short span of days since arriving in the capital, so many unexpected events had occurred one after another, leaving Jiafu overwhelmed. Pei You'an had rushed to her side only to leave just as hastily for the frontier due to the war, while she was unable to follow. Separated like this, she had no idea when they would meet again.
Though her heart was weighed down with worry, Jiafu concealed it in front of Ci'er. When he asked why they couldn’t return with his father, she explained that the border war made Suyeh City dangerous, so his father wanted them to stay safely in the palace. Once the fighting was over, he would come for them.
Ci'er nodded obediently, but perhaps sensing the unusual tension between his parents, he grew quieter after Pei You'an's departure. Gone was the lively curiosity he had shown upon their arrival. He spoke less, sticking close to Jiafu, and even held her hand at night as if afraid she might disappear if he let go.
One morning, after waking, dressing, washing, and eating, Ci'er sat at the table with the literacy book Pei You'an had compiled for him and began his assigned lessons, just as he had in the Military Commissioner's residence back in Suyeh City. Jiafu sat beside him, watching him write, when suddenly Cui Yinshui entered and announced that his "Imperial Grandfather" had summoned Ci'er.These past few days, due to sudden military conflicts in the northern frontier, the emperor had been exceptionally busy. Ci'er hadn't seen his grandfather for several days. Hearing this, he turned to look at Jiafu.
Cui Yinshui quickly explained, "Your Majesty stayed up all night reviewing the Ministry of Revenue's budget and couldn't sleep this morning either. He wishes to have the young master accompany him for a game of chess, after which he'll be sent back."
Jiafu silently helped her son change clothes and watched as he carried the chessboard, led away by Cui Yinshui. After a moment's thought, she caught up and said, "Ci'er, no matter what His Majesty asks you, answer him truthfully from your heart, understand?"
Ci'er blinked and nodded.
Jiafu smiled, kissed her son, and let Cui Yinshui take him away.
The emperor lifted Ci'er onto the couch and sat opposite him. Watching the boy arrange the chess pieces, he asked, "Have you missed your grandfather these past few days?"
Ci'er nodded.
The emperor reached out and affectionately patted his small head, his eyes showing delight. "What have you been doing these days, Ci'er?"
"Grandfather, yesterday I practiced archery, and this morning I was studying."
The emperor nodded approvingly. "Very good. Rest if you're tired. You're still young. When you're older, I'll find you a good tutor."
Ci'er shook his head. "Father went to fight the bad people. When Father returns, he can teach me."
The emperor paused slightly, then looked around. "Ci'er, do you like it here with your grandfather?"
"Yes," Ci'er nodded.
"That day when I took you up the Noon Gate Tower, did you like it?"
"I liked it," Ci'er nodded again.
"If your grandfather asked you to live here permanently from now on, to let you climb the tower again, but with one condition—you couldn't call your father 'Father' or your mother 'Mother' in front of others, would you agree?"
Ci'er, who had been arranging the pieces, stopped and looked up in confusion. "Why couldn't I call them Father and Mother?"
"They would still be yours, just not in front of others."
Ci'er shook his head firmly. "No. I want to call them Father and Mother! Wherever Father and Mother are, I want to be there too."
The emperor was silent for a moment before asking, "Ci'er, did your parents teach you to say those things just now?"
Ci'er shook his head again. "I thought of it myself. Earlier, Mother said that if Grandfather asked me anything, I should tell him what I truly think."
"Grandfather, are you unhappy?" he asked worriedly, looking at his grandfather.
The emperor smiled faintly. "Your grandfather is happy."
Ci'er held a chess piece, tilting his head slightly as he stared at the emperor.
The emperor raised his eyebrows—which bore striking resemblance to Pei You'an's—and asked, "Why are you looking at your grandfather like that again, Ci'er?"
"Grandfather... are you a bad person?" Ci'er asked quietly.
The emperor was taken aback. After a pause, he chuckled. "Why do you ask that, Ci'er?"
"My father is a good person. I secretly overheard my parents talking once... Father seemed to not like Grandfather very much..."
Meeting those pure, unwavering eyes across from him, the emperor burst into laughter and pulled his grandson across the small table into his arms.
"Tell me, Ci'er, do you like your grandfather?"
"I like Grandfather... but Father doesn't..."The emperor gazed at the child in his arms, who wore a troubled expression, and slowly tightened his embrace. Lost in thought for a moment, he said, "Your grandfather has wronged many people in his lifetime and is not a good man. But your grandfather will strive to be a good emperor. Ci'er, will you always love your grandfather?"
"Okay!" Ci'er nodded with solemn seriousness.
The emperor smiled and reached out to pat the little one's head.
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