The eunuch finished delivering the news, beaming with joy as he eagerly looked at Li Yuangui. Seeing his eyes light up with delight, though the smile hadn't fully formed before freezing abruptly—as if some unpleasant thought had struck him—the eunuch couldn't help but whisper in confusion, "Godfather, what's wrong?"
Only then did Li Yuangui snap out of it, forcing a smile back onto his face as he nodded. "Good news. Wait here for now. I'll go report to Your Majesty at once."
As Li Yuangui turned away, that faint smile vanished once more.
The reappearance of the long-lost Imperial Seal of the Realm, presented as an auspicious sign from the local authorities, should have been cause for celebration—proof that the current emperor was the true Son of Heaven, ordained by fate. Yet the timing of this discovery, coinciding precisely with its emergence from the Zhen family's shipyard in Quanzhou, was too convenient. Li Yuangui understood all too well the implications behind such a coincidence.
Pei You'an had even anticipated this move. This arrangement was like placing a Celestial Eye on the chessboard—a single move that completely blocked the emperor's path. The meticulousness of his planning was truly beyond ordinary men's reach, leaving no contingency unaccounted for.
But this also revealed one thing clearly: when Pei You'an had acted, he had already prepared for every eventuality, securing safe passage for those around him. He himself, however, chose to bear the full brunt of the emperor's wrath without flinching, even willing to stake his life to protect that youth.
The firmer Pei You'an's resolve in this matter, the more furious the emperor's ensuing rage would be.
Li Yuangui knew this well, which made it all the more difficult to imagine just how terrifying the emperor's anger would be when he delivered this news now.
Suppressing the unease rising in his heart, he entered the chamber, carefully weighing his words as he relayed the news he had just heard.
These past few days, despite the usual court assemblies, discussions, minister audiences, and memorial reviews, nothing had proceeded smoothly for the emperor. By now, days' worth of unread memorials had piled up on his desk—an unprecedented sight. When Li Yuangui entered to deliver his report, the emperor had been bent over reviewing memorials, listening as he worked. Upon hearing that the Zhen family had unearthed the Imperial Seal of the Realm while constructing their shipyard, that the people of Quanzhou hailed it as a heavenly omen, and that Gao Huaiyuan had rushed it to the capital day and night—the emperor suddenly froze, his brush hand suspended mid-air, motionless.
Slowly, the emperor raised his head, eyes wide as if staring at someone standing before him. The hand holding the brush began to tremble faintly.
A droplet of ink gathered at the brush tip, trembling with the emperor's shaking hand until it suddenly fell, splattering across the memorial beneath.
"Your Majesty!"
Though the worst-case scenario of an explosive outburst hadn't materialized, the emperor's current state was frightening enough.
Seeing the emperor's face gradually pale, Li Yuangui called out to him.
The emperor's shoulders gave a slight shudder. He closed his eyes briefly as the brush in his hand tilted gradually before slipping powerless from his fingers.
"Your Majesty, take care of your Dragon Body!"
Li Yuangui hurried forward to steady him.
The emperor remained motionless for a long moment, eyes closed, hand pressed to his forehead.
"If Your Majesty feels unwell, this servant will summon the imperial physicians at once!"
Li Yuangui looked up, about to call for attendants.
"No need."
The emperor slowly opened his eyes, his voice hoarse.
"I'm fine..."
He spoke again, sitting there with ashen complexion, dull eyes fixed blankly ahead.Li Yuangui had been by his side for decades. Even during the harshest days of suppression under the Tianxi Emperor and Prince Shun'an, he had never seen him appear so utterly exhausted. The sight unsettled him, filling him with deep concern.
"Your Majesty..."
"Go and see those people like Gao Huaiyuan on my behalf. Settle them first. I am tired and need to rest..."
"Leave these memorials for tomorrow..."
The emperor murmured these final words, slowly rising to his feet before walking out with heavy steps.
...
At the morning court session the next day, the civil and military officials learned that the Imperial Seal of the Realm had recently resurfaced in Quanzhou. Coincidentally, it was discovered in a shipyard owned by Pei You'an's in-laws. The Fujian governor, treating this as a heavenly auspicious sign, had it escorted overnight to the capital. By dawn, with gongs and drums sounding, the common folk rushed into the streets to welcome it.
The officials rejoiced, taking turns to extol the emperor's virtues.
Seated upon the Dragon Throne, the emperor instructed the Minister of Rites to arrange the welcoming ceremony for the seal. The jade seal was finally placed on a golden tray, passed reverently through the hands of kneeling officials before being presented before the emperor's throne.
With solemn expression, the emperor personally held the seal and stamped it upon the Heaven-Worshipping Text hastily prepared by the Hanlin Academy. A vivid crimson imprint appeared, clearly displaying the eight seal-script characters: "Mandated by Heaven, Longevity and Eternal Prosperity." The officials were overcome with emotion, prostrating themselves in unison and hailing "Long live Your Majesty!"
The emperor smiled, bestowing rewards upon the Fujian officials and the Zhen family for their contributions. He then announced a palace banquet to celebrate the occasion. After expressing gratitude, the officials dispersed that night, inevitably connecting the Zhen family's merit to Pei You'an during their discussions.
This Imperial Seal of the Realm had disappeared following the tragedy of the Young Emperor. During Prince Shun'an's reign, though extensive secret searches were conducted, it remained lost. Many courtiers had believed the seal was taken by the Young Emperor. Now its dramatic reappearance as a heavenly sign, ceremoniously presented to the current emperor, served to proclaim his legitimate mandate from Heaven—a contribution of no small significance. Privately, they envied Pei You'an's fortune; though far in the southwest, his family's connection to this event brought him great prestige before the emperor. When he eventually returned from the southwest with additional achievements, they wondered what further honors might await him.
That night, after the palace banquet concluded, the emperor returned to the inner palace with slightly unsteady steps—likely from excessive drinking. He lay down, closed his eyes, and fell into deep, drunken slumber.
The emperor did not summon any consorts—indeed, since their entry into the palace, he had rarely called upon them, and after deposing the Crown Prince, not once. Li Yuangui knew this all too well. Concerned about the emperor's prolonged melancholy and tonight's intoxication, he personally kept watch.
Late into the night, as the drum tower's third watch sounded faintly, Li Yuangui grew drowsy. Seeing the emperor sleeping soundly, he rose from his seat, rubbed his aching back, and prepared to leave the bedchamber. Suddenly, indistinct murmurs came from the Dragon Bed: "A Jing... A Jing..."
Li Yuangui tensed, quickly glancing toward the chamber entrance where two night-duty eunuchs dozed against pillars in the outer hall. Relieved, he hurried back to the Dragon Bed and softly called, "Your Majesty..."Xiao Lie opened his eyes, his gaze momentarily blank before he slowly sat up. After a brief daze, he asked in a low voice, "What watch is it?"
"Your Majesty, the third watch drum has just passed. Are you thirsty? This servant will fetch you water."
Xiao Lie took the water and drank it in one gulp before lying back down without turning over again.
Li Yuangui stood guard for a while. Seeing the emperor's motionless back, he assumed he had fallen asleep again and was about to tiptoe away when a deep voice suddenly came from behind: "We wish to visit Cien Temple."
If they departed tonight, this would be the emperor's third nocturnal visit to Cien Temple since arriving in the capital.
Li Yuangui paused slightly before responding in a low voice.
...
Pei You'an arrived at Cien Temple just after the fourth watch, at that darkest hour of the long night.
Complete silence enveloped everything.
He stopped before the courtyard gate and looked at Li Yuangui with slight confusion.
"Lord Pei, please enter. His Majesty awaits you inside."
Li Yuangui bowed slightly before retreating a few steps.
Pei You'an hesitated briefly, suppressing a strange feeling rising in his heart, then pushed open the slightly ajar gate and entered.
The courtyard appeared empty. From the room where he had once conversed with the emperor, a dim light seeped through.
He approached the light and opened the door to find a Lotus Tablet placed on the table, with incense burning in a censer before it, its blue smoke curling upward. The emperor stood with his back to the door, seemingly lost in contemplation of the tablet for a long while.
Pei You'an performed the kowtow toward the figure. Xiao Lie slowly turned, motioned for him to rise, and gazed at him wordlessly for an extended moment.
The emperor's face looked haggard, his eyes bearing traces of bloodshot from earlier drinking, yet his gaze remained profound. As he stared at Pei You'an, the hard lines of his features gradually softened.
The strange feeling in Pei You'an's heart intensified.
His eyes fell upon the Lotus Tablet, noticing the inscription bore not the posthumous title his aunt had received from Emperor Tianxi after her death, but instead the simple words: "Lotus Tablet of Wen Jing of the Pei Family, Born in the West." He couldn't help but pause in surprise before asking hesitantly, "Your Majesty, may this guilty subject inquire why you have summoned me here so late at night?"
Xiao Lie turned toward the tablet and said, "You'an, come forward and pay respects to your birth mother."
Pei You'an stiffened, his gaze shifting from the tablet to Xiao Lie, then back again. "Your Majesty, since I have come here and seen my aunt's memorial tablet, offering respects is only proper. But Your Majesty's words are truly perplexing. This guilty subject cannot fathom your meaning."
"You'an, you are not the son of the Duke of Wei. The Duke is your maternal uncle. I am your true father!"
Xiao Lie spoke each word with deliberate emphasis.
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