Along Qing Stream on the eastern side of Jinling, the main gates of the Prime Minister’s Mansion were locked from the outside. There might have even been official seals pasted upon the doors, though those within could not see them.
The shocking upheaval at Bagua Islet had long since spread like wildfire throughout the capital. The once powerful Wang clan of Langya had committed treason; the highly respected Grand Tutor Zhang had murdered the monarch; and the mild, soft-spoken emperor had perished while saving the heir of Prince Zhao. In the span of just a few days, one state mourning had already been declared, only to be layered upon by another.
Wang Chu, the head of the household, had already been imprisoned along with his two sons. The remaining female kin, clansmen, and domestic servants were confined within the mansion, waiting in a state of panic for the judgment of fate.
Cui Shushi stood silently at the edge of the crowd. She was thin and slender like a delicate willow leaf cast as a dark shadow against the brick wall.
Suddenly, the wife of one of Wang Xi’s cousins called out to her shrilly, “Second Madam, the Cui’s Mansion sent a carriage to fetch you just now, why didn’t you go back?”
Cui Shushi did not look at her, merely saying indifferently, “I have been a woman of the Wang family for more than a decade, and I have followed the Prime Minister closely, handling his affairs and schemes. If the Palace were to issue a sentence against me, could I truly escape it just by returning to my maiden family?”
The woman replied with a meaningful tone, “Who can say for sure? Your third brother certainly made a name for himself by following Prince Zhao and performing no small service! Besides, don’t think we don’t know; before the people from the Cui’s Mansion arrived, a carriage from Prince Zhao’s Mansion came as well. You just simply didn’t board it!”
These words were like a stone tossed into the center of a lake, sending out ripples. Someone immediately exclaimed in shock, “When did they come? Is it truly from Prince Zhao’s Mansion? How did I not see it?”
“Why would Prince Zhao come to fetch her? Wasn’t she back then—”
“Back then was back then. At that time, how could the late Emperor have permitted a marriage alliance between Prince Zhao’s Mansion and the Grand Commandant’s Mansion, which held military power?”
“Shh, watch your words. The ‘late Emperor’ from now on is no longer…”
The crowd broke into a round of hushed whispers, just loud enough for Cui Shushi to hear. Someone said, “It is unknown whether the late Great Emperor left behind any final edict; even if there was none, the succession to the throne would, in any case, not fall outside the Prince of Zhao’s Mansion either.”
The woman pondered for a moment. “In that case, Prince Zhao is unencumbered now. Did he and that discarded Princess Consort of his not nearly kill each other in their struggle? If he now takes power, he will naturally choose a new princess consort to succeed him. Moreover, the Cui’s Mansion has the merit of having assisted the dragon…”
For a moment, everyone fell silent, their eyes turning collectively toward Cui Shushi, lost in thought.
The woman walked up to Cui Shushi and spoke with gravity, “Once Prince Zhao’s Mansion ascends, they will surely place the Cui clan of Qinghe in important positions. In my view, this is exactly the Second Madam’s opportunity. Prince Zhao is even capable of raising troops to seize the nation; he is no paragon of virtue. Why would he refuse something delivered right to his door?”
Someone else muttered in a low voice, “That is indeed one possible course… Was Empress Wenzhao of Wei not also, like Lady Zhen, a woman who had married twice?”
Another kinsman added anxiously, “We had absolutely no knowledge of the schemes between Uncle and the Empress Dowager. You were often by Uncle’s side; surely you know of our innocence!”
The woman feigned wiping away tears and pleaded, “Second Madam, we have faced each other day and night for so many years; we are as close as can be. How could we not wish for you to fare well, to ascend a high branch and become a phoenix? As long as you reach a position of prominence and can speak a few words for us innocent women and children by asking Prince Zhao’s Mansion for a lighter sentence, we would already be moved to tears of gratitude!”
The others chimed in one after another. An elderly maidservant added, “The Xie clan of Chen Commandery has fallen, and Shizi has long been without a maternal clan to support him. In any case, the Second Madam never had any children while in the Prime Minister’s Mansion. If you can eventually give birth to a son, who knows to whom the position of heir might belong…”
Her husband nearby shot her a look, and the maidservant, realizing her slip of tongue, hurriedly covered her mouth. Yet those present could not help but think of Cui Shushi’s young daughter, who had died suddenly several years earlier.
From beginning to end, Cui Shushi remained silent. Only at this moment did he finally speak, “My elder brothers and sisters-in-law have truly arranged a fine future and a fine path for me.”
The crowd looked sheepish.
But Cui Shushi merely smiled. If anyone had been paying attention, they would have found her calmness quite abnormal compared to her usual biting sarcasm. Yet the Wang clansmen were wholly preoccupied with how to evade responsibility for their crimes; none of them noticed her unusual state.
“Since I have remained in the Wang house to await my sentence, if the elders wish to send me to remarry, I have no objections,” Cui Shushi said impassively. “However, in grand matters of marriage, to make a decision without being before the ancestors lacks a certain level of respect. Why don’t we move to the ancestral hall in the rear courtyard to discuss this in detail?”
Hearing her words, the crowd was overjoyed. None dissented, and they immediately moved toward the Wang clan’s ancestral hall in the back.
Cui Shushi watched their retreating figures and added coldly, “I will go back to my room to retrieve the marriage contract between me and the Second Young Master. Everyone—please wait a moment.”
Once the last person had vanished from her sight, Cui Shushi finally moved. She turned and went back to her bedroom and walked toward the heavy, dust-covered dowry chests piled in the corner. She pulled a key from her robe and unlocked the golden latch.
The lid opened to reveal an empty interior, save for a single longsword gleaming with an eerie light.
While his parents were interrogating Grand Tutor Zhang inside Shenlong Hall, Lu Shuqing stood on the terrace outside the great hall, lost in thought. After delivering Lu Shuning and Yin Chou to Xie Jun, the Xu brothers hurried into the palace. However, seeing the heir in such a dazed state, they did not dare to speak lightly.
Lu Shuqing could still feel the temperature of Lu Lingzhang’s body as it slowly turned cold before his passing. He subconsciously touched his fingertips; they had just brushed against a corner of death.
How could death be such a lightweight thing?
The Yulin Guards advanced in orderly formation under the command of Cui Jishi, approaching the outer grounds of Shenlong Hall. Lu Shuqing snapped back to reality and stood to greet him, “General Cui, you have worked hard.”
Cui Jishi quickly said, “Your Highness need not be so formal. I have come on official business that requires His Highness’s decision. Since His Highness is presently indisposed, reporting to Your Highness is the same. The Inner and Outer Yulin Guards have already assembled their troops; shall we proceed as usual and have them rotate their duties according to standard protocol with each taking up their respective posts?”
Standing on higher ground, Lu Shuqing looked down at Cui Jishi and thought: this person was truly shrewd—every bit as shrewd as Ah Huang’s mother, his eldest sister, Cui Shushi.
He is very practical; he does not boast of his merits simply because he stood on the right side of the conflict. Instead, he strictly maintains his duties by ensuring the internal order of the Imperial City remains stable so that Prince Zhao has no worries while dealing with the guilty ministers.
At the same time, he is very farsighted. Seeing that Prince Zhao is occupied and having happened upon the heir, he chose a very clever way to show his courtesy—now that Prince Zhao is his lord, the heir is his young lord and very likely the future crown prince. Since Prince Zhao values and dotes on the heir and likely intends to boldly delegate power to him for experience, why should Cui Jishi be rigid? It is better to test the waters with such a safe matter. Firstly, it allows Prince Zhao to see his respect and loyalty toward the entire family; secondly, it leaves a good impression early on in the mind of a future sovereign.
Thinking this, Lu Shuqing did not beat around the bush either and nodded. “I appreciate your management, Lord Cui. Everything may operate according to the old regulations. Once Father is free, I will certainly report this for you immediately.”
Cui Jishi took his leave. Lu Shuqing watched them turn away with boredom, his gaze drifting for a moment before suddenly freezing on a certain face.
He shouted, “Wait!”
Cui Jishi was startled but immediately raised his hand to halt the soldiers. “What are your orders, Your Highness?”
Lu Shuqing strode down the jade steps and went directly to that person. “I recognize you.”
That person lowered his head in panic, not daring to meet Lu Shuqing’s gaze. Cui Jishi interjected smoothly, “Your Highness, this is Captain Yang, who serves in the Central Yulin Guard. Two days ago, when the mid-level military official resisted obstinately, it was he and several comrades who subdued him and persuaded him to surrender to Prince Zhao. He has rendered meritorious service.”
Lu Shuqing simply gripped him with his gaze: “You killed Lu Ai.”
The soldiers to the left and right looked at one another blankly; though they did not understand the context, they did not dare to even breathe loudly.
That Captain Yang was already drenched in a cold sweat while shaking like a sieve. He had no idea who Lu Ai was, nor did he need to; the words “you killed” were enough to make his soul scatter in terror.
Silence reigned before the hall. After a long while, Lu Shuqing’s lips moved slightly as he spat out a single word, devoid of any warmth:
“Reward.”
With that, he did not spare another glance before turning to head toward the back hall. The Xu brothers exchanged looks and had no choice but to follow quickly. They had stayed at the Prince’s Mansion for a time and had heard Lu Shuqing mention his beloved parrot that had met a cruel end. Xu Yi looked back to glare at Captain Yang while muttering indignantly, “Bullying the weak and fearing the strong! Why did Your Highness not take this chance to avenge Lu Ai?”
Lu Shuqing said indifferently while walking ahead, “The turmoil has just been quelled; now is the time to appease and win people over. Their direct superior has already been executed, so these subordinates must be treated with leniency and their pasts forgiven. People will only see a common parrot; they will not care what Lu Ai meant to me. If I were to kill him over a parrot, how could my father’s throne ever be secure in the future?”
Xu Jia could not help but ask as well, “Then Your Highness could have simply left him in the Yulin Guards and ignored him. Why grant him a reward? Is that not letting him off too cheaply?”
Lu Shuqing did not turn his head, his voice devoid of any fluctuation as casual as discussing the weather:
“I certainly want to kill him, but the laws of Great Qi do not allow me to—the law will not trade a human life for the life of a parrot.”
“Therefore, I will not only reward him, but I will also transfer him to serve right under my eyes. From morning to night, he will live as though walking on thin ice with his head carried in his hands with each day endured in fear and unease. He knows that I saw him kill someone, yet he does not remember who it was. I want to keep him hanging this way, suspended in a state of perpetual, restless anxiety.”
“Since I cannot sentence him to death, I will make his life worse than death.”
The Xu brothers, who were following behind, were stunned for a moment. They looked up at Lu Shuqing’s still-slender back, and a chill settled in both of their hearts: he was already worthy of being a qualified heir…
He already possessed the burgeoning celestial majesty of an emperor.
It was not until the sun had nearly vanished that the doors of Shenlong Hall finally opened. Zhang Yan was escorted to the prison of the Ministry of Justice to await sentencing. A deputy general of the Tiger Division, who had been waiting outside the hall, immediately hurried forward to report, “Your Highness, something has happened at the Wang’s Mansion!”
Lu Lingcong turned back. “What is it?”
“Just now, we followed General Li to search the Prime Minister’s Mansion. Outside, the capital garrison had been stationed all day, sealing the gates so that no one could enter or leave. Yet once we went inside, not a single person was to be seen. We searched through to the ancestral hall in the rear courtyard, only to discover that, apart from Wang Shu and his direct descendants who had already been taken into custody, the remaining fifty-three men, women, young and old in the household… had all been killed by the sword. The blood was still warm.”
“Was it done by someone within the mansion?”
The deputy general nodded. “The perpetrator is the wife of Wang Xi, Lady Cui. She is currently kneeling outside the Court of Judicial Review with the murder weapon, surrendering herself.”
The deputy general nodded. “The perpetrator is the wife of Wang Xi, Madam Cui. At this moment, she has already brought the murder weapon with her and is kneeling outside the Court of Judicial Review, turning herself in.”
Xie Jing’s expression was grave as he grabbed Lu Lingcong’s sleeve and pulled him toward the exit. “Let’s go!”
On the long street where the Court of Judicial Review was located, passersby hurried along, occasionally casting a glance at the woman kneeling in the middle of the road, all of them avoiding her as if she were a venomous snake.
Cui Shushi was still wearing the plain mourning clothes she had changed into for the national mourning with blood splattered across the white fabric as she knelt rigidly before the doors of the government.
However, within the main hall of the Court of Judicial Review, not a single official could be seen; it was completely empty.
The carriage stopped across the street. Xie Jing lifted the curtain and practically leapt down before rushing to Cui Shushi’s side, only to be caught off guard by the sight of the longsword resting across her knees, dripping with fresh blood.
“Madam…” He said hoarsely. “Prince Zhao’s Mansion sent someone to fetch you earlier, why did you not leave?”
Cui Shushi did not answer but instead fixed a cold gaze on Xie Jing and Lu Lingcong, who followed closely behind. “Both of you have come at just the right time, exactly as I intended!”
As soon as her words fell, the Court of Judicial Review’s chief and the others, who had been hiding in the rear hall and watching from the shadows, caught sight of Lu Lingcong and Xie Jing. They immediately scrambled out in haste, bowing deeply and asking respectfully, “Madam… w-what grievance do you have to present? We will certainly investigate with utmost clarity and care!”
Cui Shushi said in a clear, resonant voice, “I, Madam Cui, request that the Court of Judicial Review reopen and re-examine the theft case reported by the Prime Minister’s Mansion in the sixteenth year of Zhenyou. The complainants were the eldest son of the Prime Minister’s Mansion, Wang Qi, and his wife; the accused was my daughter, Wang Huang, who was seven years old at the time and died in the first year of Jingyu.”
The chief of the Court of Judicial Review stole a glance at Lu Lingcong’s expression and said in a troubled, lowered voice, “Madam, that case was closed long ago. Furthermore, since your daughter has passed away, there is no one left to testify. Besides, it was merely a minor act of theft…”
“The theft may be a small matter,” Cui Shushi said coldly, “but is murder a large one?”
The chief of the Court of Judicial Review was at a loss for words and could only nod blankly.
Cui Shushi then spoke with an unwavering, level voice, “The death of Wang Huang was not due to illness. Rather, just like the fifty-three fresh corpses lying within the Prime Minister’s Mansion at this very moment—she was killed by my own hand!”
She raised her eyes to press the chief of the Court of Judicial Review, “Does this count as a large matter? Is this sufficient for the Court of Judicial Review to thoroughly reinvestigate the old case?”
Everyone present was speechless with shock. Xie Jing called out in horror, “Madam, be careful with your words! The matters of the Wang clan still have room for negotiation. Please, Madam, preserve yourself; do not act on a momentary impulse and narrow your own path!”
But Cui Shushi let out a cold laugh and glanced back at him. “Does Princess Consort think I am merely acting on an impulse? If there is a single word of falsehood in what I say today, may I be cast into the Hell of Tongue-Ripping, never to be reincarnated for all eternity!”
Lu Lingcong gave Xie Jing’s wrist a gentle squeeze and said in a deep voice, “Madam says there was an injustice in the theft reported by the Wang family years ago. Since Princess Consort and I are here as witnesses outside the court today, would it be convenient for Madam to recount the details of the case from beginning to end?”
Cui Shushi’s mind seemed to wander for a moment as if she were using every ounce of strength she possessed to drag that memory from the depths of her mind. “There are no intricate details to tell. This was no unsolved mystery or strange case.”
“Wang Qi and his wife framed Wang Huang for entering their room to steal. They reported it to the local authorities, but Wang Chu used silver as hush wealth to suppress it. I approached the Court of Judicial Review several times back then, but no one looked into it, and Wang Xi repeatedly obstructed me within the mansion. In the end, nothing came of it.”
Xie Jing recalled the rumors he had heard back then. It turned out that the massive brawl between Cui Shushi and Wang Xi, which had nearly alerted the authorities, was not due to their long-standing personal grievances but for the sake of Ah Huang.
“As for why they framed her… it was because Wang Qi called her into his room and tried to…” Cui Shushi could not bring herself to finish the sentence. Her brows knit tightly, her expression strained into one of extreme, barely containing endurance. “He failed and happened to be caught by his wife. Once the matter was exposed, the two of them feared she would speak out, so they struck first. They dragged her to the main hall in front of all hundred-plus members of the Prime Minister’s Mansion and accused her of entering her uncle and aunt’s room to steal…”
Before she could even finish, a violent wave of nausea surged in Xie Jing’s stomach. Beside him, Lu Lingcong’s face had also darkened with a rare, savage ferocity.
They, too, had a daughter.
Their daughter was the same age as Ah Huang had been then.
“I have nothing left to say. What more do you want me to say? Those three, father and sons, are already locked in the Ministry of Justice prison. The beast who committed the crime, Wang Qi; the biological father, Wang Xi; and the one who ignored it and suppressed everything, Wang Chu; they are all in there! Go ask them! Ask them, and then you will know everything!”
Cui Shushi slammed the longsword into the ground, sending the officials on either side scurrying away in a panic. Leaning on her sword for support, she forced herself upright, her stance unsteady. Her eyes were bloodshot, like an asura freshly risen from a sea of blood. She swept her gaze across the surrounding crowd, her expression teetering on the edge of madness:
“Such things happened more than once! On the surface, the entire household called her a thief, a looter who stole from her own kin and disgraced the family name! But in private,” she gave a ghastly smile, “every one of them knew what Wang Qi had done to her! They said, ‘if the upper beam is crooked, the lower ones will be askew’; they said that only a mother as rebellious as I could raise a daughter as indiscreet as her; they said she was shameless enough to seduce her own uncle!”
A deathly silence fell over the crowd; every word from Cui Shushi’s mouth was like a clap of thunder.
“They said those things for three years. And in the end, Ah Huang went mad.”
“She found me, knelt down, knelt right there before me!” Cui Shushi screamed hysterically. “She wouldn’t stop bowing, banging her head against the floor over and over, begging me. She said, ‘Mother, I beg of you, please let me die. Just let me die!'”
She stood frozen in place, appearing like a person who had lost her soul. She remained dazed for an immeasurable amount of time before suddenly letting out a cold, faint laugh, the words barely drifting from her lips, “And so, I fulfilled her wish…”
“I killed her.”
Lu Lingcong’s expression was complex. He let out a silent sigh and shook his head. Xie Jing knew what he was thinking; he knew that while Lu Lingcong could empathize with Cui Shushi’s agony, he found it difficult to truly understand her actions. This was something a father—even one as good as he, could not fully grasp.
Cui Shushi spat out sharply, “I could have broadcasted this so-called ‘family scandal’ to the world! I could have made that beast Wang Qi suffer the condemnation of every tongue until he had nowhere left to stand! But what of Ah Huang? How was she supposed to stand tall and hold her head up in this life?”
“I could have told her there was no need to die—that ‘loss of chastity’ is a trivial matter, while starving is a grave one! Integrity? Pity! What is integrity? They preach benevolence and morality in public while acting like thieves and prostitutes in private in that mansion. There are eight hundred, if not a thousand, filthy deeds there that make them worse than dogs and pigs!”
“But did my words matter? Would this world have agreed?”
Cui Shushi’s voice gradually faded. Finally, she murmured, “I am in the quagmire myself. I could not help her live a better life; I only brought her endless shame and pain…”
“She made it impossible for me not to think of her father, not to think of everything the Wang clan of Langya brought upon me, not to think of my fifteen years of living death. I truly hated her.”
Did she hate her? Did she not?
It no longer mattered.
“I did not stop her from seeking death, nor will I stop her now. Purity, legal principle, justice—the living cannot claim these things!”
“I killed her, and I killed those who used their tongues to condemn her to death. I avenged her, and I come here to demand her innocence; not because she is my daughter, but because I cannot stand by and watch someone who has never committed a single evil deed be burdened with vile accusations, slander, and shameless false charges, driven to seek death! With the present Prince Zhao and the Right Vice Minister of the Department of State Affair here, and the future Emperor and Empress present today, if the Court of Judicial Review cannot adjudicate this case with fairness, punish the guilty of the Wang clan and restore Ah Huang’s name, then you must carefully consider whether your heads will still remain on your shoulders tomorrow morning!”
The chief of the Court of Judicial Review was already kneeling on the ground while trembling uncontrollably. “This… This humble one will certainly investigate thoroughly; this humble one shall never again show leniency…”
Cui Shushi raised her head toward the sky and sighed deeply. “When my father gave me this name, he hoped I would be virtuous and serve the people and achieve great things. Now, thirty-odd years have flickered by like a crack in a wall, and everything has come to nothing!”
As she caressed the precious sword in her hand, Lu Lingcong and Xie Jing both sensed her intent. The former moved immediately to stop her but was held back by the latter, who shook his head slightly.
Cui Shushi looked at her blood-stained, disheveled robes and lifted her eyes to Xie Jing. “Xie Zhiwu, my clothes are filthy. Lend me your sleeve!”
Xie Jing slowly stepped forward two paces, took the longsword, and used his snow-white sleeve to wipe away the bloodstains bit by bit until it was clean. He returned it to her with both hands, followed by a profound bow.
At this time and place, there were no longer vast differences of gender, surname, purpose, interest, or fate between them. They shared but a single identity: they were simply two mothers; one shocked and one despairing, one living and one preparing to die.
Cui Shushi took the sword and gave a tragic, beautiful smile. “Today, I do not die for the sin of slaughter, nor for the Cui clan of Qinghe, nor for my late daughter Wang Huang. I die only for myself, Cui Shushi!”
“If I could not live for myself in life, I seek at least to die for myself in death!”
With those words, she suddenly raised her hand and swept the sword across her throat. In an instant, blood splattered, painting the ground a vivid crimson!
Xie Jing did not blink. He watched as Cui Shushi collapsed backward like a pure, white epiphyllum flower that blooms and withers in a heartbeat; in the moment of its full blossoming, heaven and earth seemed to weep and mourn. A hot liquid splashed onto his face, he did not know if it was blood or something else.
At that moment, the Leifeng Pagoda collapsed with a thunderous crash, and the white-clad figure that leapt forth could not be made out clearly; her face blurred, indistinct, like any one of them.
