Xue Liulan stood in the courtyard, watching the warm light spill from Murong Jin's window. Her shadow moved back and forth across the paper, restless.
Die Man stood beside him, her face twisted with jealousy.
"Such devotion," she sneered. "You two are truly a model couple."
He turned to her. "The Fifteen have paid with their lives. What more do you want?"
"What do I want?" She laughed, a sharp, grating sound. "Xue Liulan, what do you think I want? I was bored. I found something to do."
"I told you, you could stay as long as you liked, or leave whenever you wanted." His hands clenched behind his back. "But now, you must leave."
"Oh? Must I? Xue Liulan, do you think I am a woman you can summon and dismiss at will?" She stepped closer, her eyes cold. "I know many of your secrets. And I know what it feels like to be ignored. Now, you know it too."
He moved. Faster than thought. His hand clamped around her throat, slamming her against a pillar.
She clawed at his wrist, struggling to breathe, but his grip was iron.
"Xue… Liulan," she choked out. "Kill me… and your son… dies with me."
"What?" He froze. He pressed his forearm against her collarbone, pinning her. "What did you do to Qi'er?"
She smiled, triumphant even as she gasped for air. "What do you think? You've known me for so long. Don't you know what I'm capable of?"
His chest heaved with suppressed rage. Poison? Witchcraft? Either would be fatal to an infant.
"The antidote," he demanded, loosening his grip slightly.
She stared at him in silence. He hesitated, then stepped back, watching her closely, afraid she might vanish.
"There is no antidote," she said, smoothing her robes.
"What do you mean?" His eyes narrowed. He took a step forward, then stopped himself.
"Oh, concern makes for chaos. Xue Liulan, what did you use to say about me? 'Emotion clouds judgment. It makes the mind unclear, leads to wrong decisions.'"
"But you didn't listen. You still made the wrong decision." Allying with Guo Shangzhong was bargaining with a tiger. To the eunuch, she was useful only until Xue Liulan was weakened. Then, she would be discarded.
"Is that so? I think it's the only right choice I've ever made." She laughed. "I will make you see, Xue Liulan. To you, I am important too."
"If you harm Qi'er, I will not spare you." He turned and walked toward the Ninghe Courtyard.
She watched him go until he disappeared through the moon gate. Xue Liulan, our game has only just begun.
In the grand hall, silence reigned. All eyes were on Guo Shangzhong, kneeling in the center. The man who had once stood tall beside the Emperor, feared by all, now knelt before Xue Liulan with a look of grief on his face.
"Please rise, Eunuch Guo." Xue Liulan signaled Little Dingzi to help him up. "I heard your residence was attacked. Are you unharmed?"
"Thank you, Your Highness. The thieves have been dealt with. My home is ashes, and Minister Yu's house next door suffered as well." Guo Shangzhong sighed, but his lowered eyes burned with hatred.
Those fifteen men—Xue Liulan's personal guard—had tried to drag him into hell with them. If not for his martial arts, he wouldn't be standing here today.
"I heard you handed the bodies over to Minister Li?" Xue Liulan looked at Li Yan.
Li Yan stepped forward and knelt. "Yes, Your Highness. They have been delivered to the Ministry."
"And the investigation?"
"They are indeed the fifteen assassins who attacked the late Emperor. Thanks to Eunuch Guo, they have all been apprehended." Li Yan bowed to Guo Shangzhong. "The Eunuch's skill is admirable."
The court murmured. Guo Shangzhong, a martial arts master? The fifteen assassins had evaded the palace guards with ease, yet he had defeated them all? The night of the assassination suddenly seemed very suspicious.
Guo Shangzhong sensed the shift in the room. He knelt again. "Your Highness, I did not kill them."
"Oh?" Xue Liulan feigned surprise. "Do you have men more skilled than the Imperial Guard?"
The implication was clear: if he did, he should hand them over for the protection of the palace. At the very least, it would strip him of his hidden strength.
"Your Highness, my men were granted by the late Emperor. Besides, the fifteen men committed suicide at my gate. It had nothing to do with anyone else." He gritted his teeth, hiding his fury.
"Suicide?" Xue Liulan repeated, looking at Li Yan.
Li Yan presented a report. Little Dingzi took it and handed it to the prince.
"This is the coroner's report. It confirms suicide," Li Yan declared loudly. Only he knew what the coroner had really said.
Ribs shattered. Internal organs ruptured. If they didn't fall from a great height, they were killed by someone with terrifying internal energy. Every strike to a vital point. Ruthless.
Xue Liulan read the report carefully. "Since the assassins are caught, my father's spirit can rest in peace."
"Long live the Emperor!" the officials chanted, relief evident in their voices.
The threat was gone. They could sleep in their own beds again.
Xue Liulan's smile vanished. "Eunuch Guo, since your home is destroyed, you should continue to handle the coronation."
"Your Highness, please grant me a few days. I am… shaken. I fear I might make mistakes."
"I see." Xue Liulan looked troubled. "Little Dingzi, handle the palace affairs for now. Ask Eunuch Guo if you have questions."
"Yes, my lord." Little Dingzi knelt.
"Li Yan."
"Your servant is here."
"Burn the bodies. Scatter the ashes." Xue Liulan frowned. "Minister Yu's home was damaged, and the Minister of Appointments has resigned due to illness. You will handle the coronation for now."
"Your servant obeys." Li Yan kowtowed. "Your Highness, once the coronation is complete, should we recruit new talent to fill the vacancies?"
"Prepare for it."
The other officials said nothing. The death of the assassins was enough. As for new appointments… a new emperor meant new courtiers. They were prepared.
Back at the residence, Xue Liulan recounted the day's events to Gongzi Suyi. Li Yan sat nearby, smiling as he played with his tea cup.
"So Guo Shangzhong has accepted the loss," Suyi said in his gentle voice.
"He had to swallow his teeth," Li Yan laughed. "His face in court was green."
"Hahaha! Satisfying." Xue Liulan laughed. "Thanks to your timely arrival, we could vent our anger today."
"Your wife asked the Sixth Prince to ride day and night to find me. Coincidentally, I was in Yuling on business. That's why I was so fast." Suyi smiled. "Heaven is helping you, Xue Liulan."
"Heaven aside, I relied on your strength to pass this trial." Xue Liulan's smile faded. He stood and bowed to Suyi and Li Yan. "I thank you both."
Li Yan stood and returned the bow. Suyi rose slowly. "Between brothers, there is no need for ceremony. If you want to thank me, send me two jars of good wine."
Li Yan stared. The rumors of Gongzi Suyi's virtue were true, but he had hesitated when asked to help. It was a huge risk.
But now he saw. They were not just prince and vassal. They were brothers.
"Oh, I leave tomorrow. Go and say goodbye to them," Suyi said with a smile.