Spring Remains the Same - Chapter 101

It was still morning when she entered the palace, but after all the turmoil, it was already past noon.

To face death and find life—she had, in the end, survived the calamity. Most of the obstacles had been cleared away, and it seemed the path ahead would grow smoother and smoother.

But Puyang felt not a shred of joy. She did not think about who should be enthroned now that Xiao Dewen was dead, nor did she consider whether the timing was right for her to claim the imperial title.

Ever since her rebirth, she had yearned to sit upon that throne. Now that the dawn was finally in sight, her heart felt no ripple of emotion.

She insisted on seeing Wei Xiu’s wound. Even though Wei Xiu had said it was only a minor injury, Puyang had to see it with her own eyes.

Wei Xiu looked at her helplessly but was ultimately unable to refuse. Puyang pushed her wheelchair toward a side hall. Wei Xiu wanted to protest one last time, but seeing Puyang’s grave expression, she finally gave up and let her be.

The green robe was untied, and Puyang carefully lifted the left lapel. Summer clothing was thin, and most people wore only a single layer. To prevent her identity from being exposed, Wei Xiu wore an inner garment beneath her outer robe. The inner garment was white, now stained with a large, mottled patch of bl00d that was still spreading.

Puyang took one look, and her eyes reddened.

Wei Xiu didn’t know what to say to comfort her. The wound hurt terribly; how could it not, when flesh had been brutally pierced? But she could endure it. More than this pain, she did not want to see Her Highness grieve because of it.

“It’s just some bl00d loss. It didn’t injure any internal organs,” Wei Xiu explained gently. Her speech was slow and faint, her tone deliberately understated.

This only made Puyang’s heart ache more. She said, “A-Xiu, he truly meant to kill me then.”

Wei Xiu’s tone remained just as soft, as if she feared that speaking any louder would startle Puyang into tears. In a gentle, hushed voice, she said, “I know.” That was why she had blocked the blow for her.

Puyang nodded and said no more. The rims of her eyes were completely red. Wei Xiu watched her with concern, worried she might burst into tears at any moment.

But Puyang did not look at her. With reddened eyes, she quickly straightened Wei Xiu’s clothes and then, without the slightest pause, walked toward the hall’s entrance.

At first, her steps were somewhat unsteady. But by the time she reached the doors, she seemed like a different person. Her figure was tall and straight, her bearing majestic, her back held perfectly erect, exuding a resolute, fearless, and composed nobility. The doors opened before her, and light flooded into the dim hall. Wei Xiu couldn’t help but squint.

Puyang’s voice rang out, seeming to come from a distant place. Outside the hall, it was deathly silent. Dozens, hundreds, thousands of Feathered Forest Guards stood at attention, yet not one dared to make a sound or utter a word of doubt.

Wei Xiu listened intently. Puyang quickly took command of the Feathered Forest Guard. She issued several orders: summon the ministers, and see to the bodies of the Emperor and the Prince of Jin—that went without saying. Wei Xiu also heard Puyang lower her voice to instruct someone standing close to her, “Go quickly to the Imperial Medical Bureau and fetch wound medicine.” She paused for a moment, as if realizing she knew little of pharmacology, then added rapidly, “Bring several kinds, all of the best quality.”

Wei Xiu lowered her head and smiled.

With such a major event occurring in the palace, those outside could not have remained unaware. Chancellor Wang led the officials to the palace gates to request an audience with the Emperor. The Tiger Warriors guarding the gate, seeing such a scene for the first time, were at a loss.

First came the civil officials of the third rank and above, then the military officials joined them. Gradually, all the officials in the capital arrived. Dressed in similar official robes, their caps and sashes in perfect order, they stood united outside the palace gates, demanding in one voice to see the Emperor.

The soldiers garrisoned on the city walls were extremely tense. They repeatedly sent messengers into the inner palace, but there was no response.

Just as the commanding officer at the gate was sweating with anxiety, someone arrived from the palace with an order: open the gates and summon the ministers to enter.

Chancellor Wang and Grand Tutor Wei exchanged a look, knowing that the situation in the palace had been decided. They straightened their robes and led the scholar-officials into the palace.

The Prince of Jin’s coup was aimed at becoming emperor and residing legitimately in the palace, not at having a disorderly army enter to burn, kill, and plunder. Therefore, despite the armed conflict, the imperial palace remained largely as it was, with no significant damage aside from a few instances of looting by palace staff who took advantage of the chaos.

Along the way, someone had already explained to Chancellor Wang what had happened. By the time he reached the Hall of Proclaimed Virtue, Chancellor Wang knew that the Emperor was dead and that the Great Wei was once again without a ruler.

Thus, the most urgent matter was to enthrone a new emperor. This was an extremely thorny issue. Xiao Dewen had no sons or younger brothers. Among the collateral lines, the closest in bl00d were his five uncles, followed by numerous cousins. Logically, one of them should be chosen. But Puyang would not agree. Then they could ask the Grand Princess to ascend the throne, but the Prince of Zhao and the others would not agree to that.

They had already given up hope, but now the opportunity had presented itself again. To them, it was as precious as something lost and found, and they would not give up easily. Chancellor Wang was already pondering whether he could make the Prince of Zhao and the others shut their mouths for good.

Outside the Hall of Proclaimed Virtue, the ministers gathered, some worried, others discussing in low voices. Compared to their united front at the palace gates, now that the crisis was over, they had fallen into disarray.

Lacking someone to preside over the situation, it was difficult to make progress on any matter. Chancellor Wang sent someone to request the Grand Princess’s presence.

The Grand Princess was in the Hall of Containing Light, applying medicine for her consort. The wound was in a place where she could not entrust the task to others, nor did Puyang wish to.

“This was my residence when I was young. You can rest here at ease.” Puyang settled Wei Xiu on the couch, had her lie down, and after treating the wound, covered her with a thin quilt, not allowing her to get up.

Wei Xiu’s face was a little pale, but her spirits were good, likely because the overall situation was settled. She did not struggle to rise, but lay obediently as Puyang had instructed. “The Prince of Zhao and the others, how will you deal with them?”

“Adhering to the rebellion,” Puyang said.

“Lump them together with the Prince of Jin and deal with them all at once. As for evidence—once the crime is determined, the evidence is not hard to find.”

“They all harbor treacherous intentions. Dealing with them together will prevent future trouble.” If Wei Xiu had been unharmed, Puyang might not have been so severe. But Wei Xiu was injured, and Puyang refused to leave any hidden dangers that might cause Wei Xiu to face peril for her again in the future.

“In two days, the Black Armored Army will arrive in the capital, which can intimidate the officials. In the capital…” Speaking to this point, Puyang suddenly remembered, “Jiao Yong…”

Wei Xiu’s heart leaped.

“He listens to you. Why don’t you find a suitable person to deliver a message for you?” Puyang continued.

Wei Xiu was a little bewildered. Her Highness wasn’t going to ask why Jiao Yong, a court minister, would take orders from her, a person with no official rank or position?

Puyang did not ask, nor did she intend to. She would not doubt Wei Xiu. Wei Xiu had done so much for her; she only felt that she had not treated Wei Xiu well enough. How could she possibly suspect her?

Seeing Wei Xiu hesitate, Puyang thought she was unwilling and gently persuaded her, “A-Xiu, you are injured and shouldn’t be running about. Jiao Yong doesn’t need to do much, just maintain order in the capital. He need not concern himself with anything else.”

As long as he did not obstruct things, it would be fine.

Wei Xiu agreed.

Outside the hall, someone came to summon her again. A state cannot be without a ruler for a single day. The ministers were frantic, sending wave after wave of people to respectfully request the Grand Princess’s presence. Seeing that she really could not delay any longer, Puyang tucked the corner of the quilt for Wei Xiu, instructed her once more not to get up, and only then left the hall.

Watching her leave, Wei Xiu’s heart felt both full and empty. She was happy that the princess trusted her, yet sad that this complete trust was ultimately misplaced. Wei Xiu grew even more reluctant to speak the truth, but she knew that the longer she delayed, the harder it would be to resolve.

This was Puyang’s residence in her youth, and looking at it now, it still bore her style. The furnishings were simple, yet each piece was exquisite, all crafted by famous artisans.

Wei Xiu glanced around, sighed, and closed her eyes to sleep.

She had thought that with a mind so full of worries, she would not sleep soundly. Unexpectedly, she fell into a dream the moment she closed her eyes. When she awoke, the sun was already setting. Palace attendants had prepared the evening meal and brought it in one by one.

Perhaps fearing she would worry from lack of news, Puyang had left Qin Kun there. Without Wei Xiu even having to ask, Qin Kun recounted all the developments from outside.

At this point, Puyang no longer concealed her ambition. The Prince of Zhao and the others were seized by the Feathered Forest Guard as soon as they entered the palace and were thrown into the imperial prison. The three protested their innocence and cried injustice, but the men sent to raid their mansions found items of imperial pretension in all three residences, and even letters exchanged with their advisors, some of which contained rebellious language.

“Did no one speak up for the three princes?” Wei Xiu asked.

Qin Kun replied, “Some did, but with the evidence presented, they couldn’t say much.” These were things left over from when the princes were plotting for the throne before, but Puyang claimed it was evidence of their collusion with the Prince of Jin’s rebellion. The ministers dared not object; the situation in the capital was now one where the princess alone held power.

“His Highness the Prince of Zheng pleaded for the three princes, and Her Highness agreed,” Qin Kun added.

The Prince of Jin, for his treasonous usurpation, was posthumously stripped of his title and made a commoner, to be buried with the rites of a commoner. His consort and children were found equally guilty and were all executed. The Princes of Zhao, Dai, and Jing, for adhering to the rebellion, were stripped of their titles, made commoners, and exiled to the frontier, never to be pardoned.

As for the other officials who had colluded with them, their cases were handed over to the Ministry of Justice and the Grand Court of Revision for investigation, with Chancellor Wang presiding.

Wei Xiu asked with interest, “And the new monarch?”

Qin Kun smiled. “The late Emperor has two princes remaining: Prince of Han, Xiao Yuan, and Prince of Teng, Xiao Zhan. Two hours ago, both princes submitted a joint memorial requesting to leave the capital, to show they have no intention of vying for the great throne.” These two princes were still young and had no heirs. And since the elder princes were all criminals, their sons were also demoted to commoners along with their fathers.

In the late Emperor’s line, there were no male heirs left to inherit the throne. Among the imperial clan, there was also no outstanding figure who could contend with Puyang.

“Chancellor Wang submitted a memorial, petitioning for Her Highness to ascend the throne,” Qin Kun recounted, one item at a time.

Wei Xiu listened without interrupting.

“Over half the ministers in the court seconded the motion, imploring Her Highness to inherit the great throne. There are still some who claim there has never been a female emperor and are unwilling to bow to one.”

“The ministers of both sides began debating in the hall, citing classics and precedents. They probably haven’t dispersed yet.”

This was to be expected. A woman ascending the throne would always meet with some obstruction. Seeing Qin Kun’s calm demeanor, Wei Xiu knew that although there was debate in the court, it was not an insurmountable problem.

The state could not long be without a ruler. At most, there would be a result by tomorrow.

Wei Xiu’s guess that a result would come by tomorrow was conservative. That very night, the new monarch was decided in the Hall of Proclaimed Virtue.

When Puyang returned to the Hall of Containing Light, it was nearly the third watch. Wei Xiu was still awake, waiting for her. There was a look of joy on her face, though not very obvious; the palace attendants following her seemed even happier than she was.

Seeing this, Wei Xiu did not ask immediately. She waited until after Puyang had washed up and blown out the candles before asking, “When is the enthronement ceremony scheduled?”

“Tomorrow,” Puyang replied. After saying this, she shed the dignified and steady demeanor she wore in front of outsiders, and a happy smile appeared at the corners of her mouth.

“They all conceded?”

“Yes. The circumstances were stronger than the men; they had no choice but to yield.” Puyang turned on her side to face Wei Xiu, her spirits high. “The case of the Prince of Jin’s usurpation has not yet been concluded, and the three other princes are implicated. Thanks to their years of rivalry, very few ministers in the court are completely uninvolved with them. To avoid being swept into the treason case, they had no choice but to concede and honor me as emperor.”

Puyang showed a hint of triumphant pride. Wei Xiu found it amusing and stroked her hair. Puyang leaned against her shoulder and said softly, “It truly feels like a dream.”

“Yes, it does.” Her wish has finally come true. Wei Xiu also felt it had not been easy. She will be enthroned tomorrow, the situation is stable, and Her Highness will no longer need me. Wei Xiu had made up her mind. Tomorrow, she would reveal the whole truth. “After the enthronement ceremony tomorrow, I have something to tell Your Highness…”

As she spoke, she turned her head, only to see that Puyang had already fallen fast asleep against her.

A day of exhaustion—first entering the palace, then dealing with the Prince of Jin, followed by maneuvering with the ministers for the better part of the day until the great throne was settled. She was truly tired.

Wei Xiu was stunned for a moment, then gave a helpless smile. She brushed Puyang’s hair aside and placed a kiss on her face, full of cherish.

Puyang did not sleep peacefully. She had a dream.

In the dream, the imperial palace was engulfed in the flames of war. Palace attendants fled in all directions with bundles on their backs. Corpses littered the palace grounds—some lying in pools of bl00d, some charred black by fire; some were high-ranking ministers, others were humble eunuchs. The halls had collapsed, their thick, solemn pillars lying on the ground. Brocade was covered in dust, golden tiles were shattered. It was the end of the road.

Wei Xiu entered through the palace gates, followed by many soldiers. The group headed straight for the Hall of Proclaimed Virtue.

Puyang suddenly realized this was a scene from her past life, the period after A-Xiu had breached the capital, just before she herself had taken her own life.

Like the last time she had dreamt of Wei Xiu taking her own life on the city wall, this scene was also exceptionally clear. She could see A-Xiu’s tightly furrowed brow and the undisguised hostility in her eyes.

The ground outside the Hall of Proclaimed Virtue was also covered with corpses, but Wei Xiu walked inward impassively, as if she did not see them.

Xiao Dewen was in the hall. He wore the imperial dragon robe and crown, looking very solemn, but unfortunately, he was being held down on the floor, unable to move. Hearing the sound of the wheelchair rolling over the floor tiles, Xiao Dewen hurriedly begged for mercy, “Minister Wei, spare Our life! The throne is yours, Luoyang is yours, it’s all yours! Just spare Our life, and it will all be yours!”

Wei Xiu came to a stop before him and chuckled lightly. “You are the last of the Xiao clan. Only with your death can my great vengeance be achieved.”

Xiao Dewen struggled to lift his head, his face a mess. He stared blankly at Wei Xiu and stammered, “G-great vengeance?”

“Yes,” Wei Xiu said coldly. “The vengeance for your Xiao clan exterminating my Zhong clan.”

Xiao Dewen was stunned into silence. But Puyang felt a bone-chilling cold, as if all the bl00d in her body had frozen. She stared at Wei Xiu’s face, trying to find any sign of a lie, but no matter how desperately she searched, all she saw from the corners of Wei Xiu’s eyes to the tips of her brows was cold indifference and hatred.

Xiao Dewen snapped out of his daze. Like a drowning man clutching at a straw, he forced an ugly smile and said repeatedly, “I have never exterminated any Zhong clan. There is no Zhong clan in this court. Minister Wei, you must be mistaken.”

“It was not you. It was Xiao Yi.” Wei Xiu seemed determined to make him understand why he was dying, or perhaps the matter had been bottled up inside her for too long, and she was no longer willing to hide it. “Do you know why I was able to breach the impregnable city of Luoyang in a single day?” She didn’t wait for Xiao Dewen’s answer and continued on her own, “It was Jiao Yong. He opened the city gates. He once studied under my father. It’s just that he had not yet made his name, and my father, wishing to temper him, did not lend him the Zhong clan’s name to use. Thus, it was not known to outsiders. And thanks to that, he was spared.”

“The more than one hundred lives of the Zhong clan, plus the many soldiers who escorted my father to the capital—tell me, should this debt not be repaid?” Wei Xiu drew a sword from her sleeve. It was the Fish Intestine Sword. “I hate the Xiao clan to the bone. After you are gone, I will have your corpse exposed in the wilderness. The Xiao ancestral temple will also be burned down. As for the late Emperor, I will have his corpse desecrated.”

Xiao Dewen watched her draw the sword from its sheath, trembling with fear. But this did not elicit any sympathy from Wei Xiu. She still plunged the sword through Xiao Dewen’s chest.

Xiao Dewen fell to the ground, his face contorted as he struggled. But soon, he stopped struggling. Wei Xiu watched him impassively. In the instant Xiao Dewen breathed his last, she seemed to age suddenly.

Puyang felt chilled to the very marrow of her bones.

The dream was long, and there was more to come, but she no longer had the strength to watch. She wanted to wake up but could not break free. The scenes unfolded before her eyes, one after another, forcing her to watch, to know.

Until the very end, until she opened her eyes, she found her face was streaked with tears.

Wei Xiu was right beside her. She had been injured for her just that day. She had always been so gentle, loving her, protecting her, tolerating her. But why, in that dream, had she become a descendant of the Zhong family?

Puyang’s tears kept flowing. She was not crying, yet the tears simply would not stop.

Wei Xiu was still asleep, completely unaware. Puyang raised a hand, wanting to stroke Wei Xiu’s face. Her touch was light, afraid of waking her. Her face was warm, her features soft. She was the A-Xiu she knew best, the person closest to her in the world. She did not wake, as if completely at ease, sleeping soundly even as Puyang caressed her face. This was her bed-mate, the only person she had loved in two lifetimes.

But she… for what reason, exactly, had she approached her?

“A-Xiu…” Puyang called her name softly, only to realize her voice was choked with sobs. She quickly covered her mouth, afraid of waking Wei Xiu, afraid she would ask why she was crying.

The next day was the enthronement ceremony.

Every step was governed by rites and regulations—where to depart from, when to play the music, even which foot to step forward with first, all were prescribed. Time was tight and allowed for no delay, but for some reason, the new monarch rushed to summon Chancellor Wang before the grand ceremony for a long, secret talk in the Hall of Proclaimed Virtue.

Chancellor Wang was also puzzled, not knowing why the new monarch had suddenly asked him about the Zhong clan.

But thinking that she was now the emperor, that the late emperor was gone, and that he himself sympathized with the Zhong clan, he spoke vaguely, recounting the matter of how Lord Zhong had met his tragic end.

The new monarch just listened, her expression wooden, as if resigned to a fate she had expected, yet also as if unwilling to accept why it had to be so. Chancellor Wang had his doubts but did not dare to ask further.

Outside the hall, the ceremonial music began to play.

After the ceremony began, the ministers standing at the front could clearly see that the new monarch was somewhat absent-minded. The officials grew alarmed. For Her Majesty to be inattentive during such a grand ceremony was surely not an auspicious sign. But the ceremony was solemn, and no one dared to speak out, nor did anyone dare let their unease show on their face.

The enthronement ceremony was held in the Hall of Grand Origin. The emperor would ascend the throne here, report to Heaven and Earth, proclaim it to the world, and receive the obeisance of the hundred officials.

The procedures were carried out one by one, and by the time the grand ceremony concluded, it was nearly noon.

After noon, the new monarch issued her first edict: to install the consort Wei Xiu as the Imperial Consort.

Author’s Notes:

The truth you’ve all been waiting for.

I realized that after Puyang ascends the throne, I can’t call her Puyang anymore, because Puyang is her title.

Luckily, I gave her a name in advance. It appeared in the first chapter. Her name is Xiao Hong.