SC Chapter5

Those imprisoned in the Imperial Prison were all individuals who had once held high positions of power. Their guilt was personally determined and confirmed by the emperor. Having entered this gate of life and death, they would never rise again. The Imperial Prison was cold and desolate, hidden from the sky and the earth. A faint scent of blood permeated every breath. No one struggled or cursed within its walls; there was only a deathly silence.

Shen Yunjie, with the Tianyi Token hung at his waist, walked all the way to the end of the Imperial Prison. The attending jailers bowed their heads as they unlocked three locks, led him into a cell, and then silently departed.

A person was curled up in the corner of the dark cell. Thick iron chains, each as wide as an arm, bound his wrists and ankles. He sat there motionless while holding his knees close to his chest. The fiery red wedding robe he wore was covered in filth and black marks. His loose, matted hair concealed his eyebrows and eyes.

That should have been the young heir who lived the most joyous and carefree life in all of Jinling City, born into a noble family, showered with affection, energetic, and high-spirited. He favored crimson robes with narrow sleeves, his brocade garments gleaming and his jade belt swaying in the wind, making him striking and flamboyant. But now, everything had been turned upside down.

Shen Yunjie walked up to Xie Junyi and slowly knelt down as he opened the food container he was holding.

“Young Master, I made your favorite crispy butter pastries.” Shen Yunjie gently brushed aside the messy hair covering Xie Junyi’s eyes and cradled his thin, pale face.

Xie Junyi’s gaze was dull and unfocused. After a long moment, he settled his eyes on Shen Yunjie. The dull clanking of chains suddenly sounded as he grabbed Shen Yunjie’s hand and choked out, “Ah Yun… my father didn’t commit treason! He didn’t!”

Shen Yunjie looked at him calmly and said softly, “Young Master, His Highness engaged in forming cliques for selfish gain; the evidence is irrefutable, and he has already confessed.”

Xie Junyi stared blankly at the person in front of him while muttering to himself, “No, you’re lying to me… you’re deceiving me…”

Shen Yunjie felt a dull ache in his heart but continued, “His Highness was personally convicted by His Majesty. I fear His Highness will not leave this Imperial Prison alive. As for Her Highness, out of consideration for their sibling bond, His Majesty has sent her to Qing’an Temple for quiet contemplation. All involved members of the royal family and officials have been executed.”

Xie Junyi’s hand slowly slipped from the back of Shen Yunjie’s as he sat frozen, as if having lost his mind.

Shen Yunjie sighed, scooped out a bowl of meat porridge from the food container, carefully blew on it to cool it, and held it to Xie Junyi’s mouth: “Young Master, eat something. Whatever you want to hear, I will tell you.”

The meat porridge entered his mouth but then trickled down from the corner of his lips. Xie Junyi’s eyes were red. After a long silence, he asked in a hoarse voice, “Who… are you?”

Shen Yunjie used a cloth to wipe the corner of Xie Junyi’s mouth clean, lowered his eyes, and said, “Shen Guan of Tianyi Division.”

“That year…” Xie Junyi curled up, making a sound that was half-sob, half-cry, “You said your father died, and you were the only one left, so you no longer had a home…”

“I’m sorry.” Shen Yunjie’s hands were clenched so tightly inside his sleeves that his nails dug into his flesh, yet he felt no pain, only a deep, growing ache in his chest. “I lied to you. I entered the Prince Mansion under my master’s orders to gain your trust only to facilitate the investigation.”

Xie Junyi’s face was wet and cold. After a long silence, he began to laugh hysterically in a low voice, “You lied to me… all these years…”

Shen Yunjie’s fingertip traced the tears on Xie Junyi’s face, “These years, I never loved you.”

The person before him, clear and pure as jade, was nonetheless the most bloodless killer. Xie Junyi laughed maniacally for a long time, then closed his eyes in despair: “Shen Yunjie, I hate you.”

Shen Yunjie looked at the full food container from which not a single bite had been taken. He only took out a flask from the bottom, pinched Xie Junyi’s chin, and poured half a cup into him, then said, “That’s fine. On the path to the Underworld, by the Naihe Bridge, I will be the one you love and the one you hate in this lifetime.”

Choking on the strong liquor, Xie Junyi coughed. Before he could look up, he felt a chill in his chest as a beautiful dagger was plunged into his heart. He opened his mouth, and blood gushed out. His vision gradually blurred. In a daze, he once again saw the first snow of that year in Jinling City when he looked at the kneeling boy offering himself for sale, and was stunned by his beauty.

“Come with me,” the young heir, who was wrapped in a fiery red fox fur, pulled the boy’s icy hand and asked, “What is your name?”

“Yunjie…” The boy’s clear, beautiful eyes were lowered. The young heir’s palm was burning hot, hotter than fire.

“‘Moon and earth, cloud and steps[mfn]Yue Di Yun Jie[/mfn]?” The young heir smiled while pulling his hand and said proudly, “I know that poem. ‘Moon and earth, cloud and steps, on what day will we hold hands again? Is our heart steadfast? To grow old together. May we be granted from this day forth…'”

May we be granted from this day forth.

Shen Yunjie held Xie Junyi until the person in his arms took his last breath. He kissed Xie Junyi’s brow and quietly shed tears. He had personally killed his life’s dearest love.

The iron gate of the Imperial Prison opened wide. Shen Yunjie climbed the long stone staircase one step at a time, where his master stood waiting at the top. The dull ache in his chest reached a breaking point, and Shen Yunjie’s knees gave way, nearly collapsing, but Jiang Lingxin steadily held him up.

“Guan’er, let’s go home.” Love and hate crumbled into dust, leaving nothing behind.

Two rows of Tianyi Division guards knelt in unison: “We respectfully welcome the Young Division Master back—”