Three Steps: From Assassin to Empress - Chapter 56
Chapter 56: Reversal of a Verdict (Part 1)
Ying Xiu was stunned. Xie Zhou’s words echoed in his ears—
“You don’t have to think about anything. Just stay here.”
He focused his mind, thinking about the meaning of this sentence. He suddenly realized that Xie Zhou was saying that from now on, he would handle everything, and he could live a life of ease.
In Xie Zhou’s eyes, the golden-robed youth was standing by the window, his head bowed in deep thought, as if he was very unhappy with the arrangement.
That made sense. Who would be happy about losing their freedom and being confined to this great hall?
But so what? Ying Xiu didn’t have the right to choose.
The next moment, Ying Xiu quietly walked toward Xie Zhou. He suddenly hugged his arm through the white robes, as if he was secretly hugging a treasure. He was overjoyed.
“Xie Zhou! You’re so good to me!”
Heaven knows how wonderful it is to live a life with no worries, just food, drinks, and fun!
Xie Zhou was truly too good to him!
The youth suddenly got closer, and the warm touch of his skin came through his arm.
The young emperor was stunned for a moment. He lowered his long eyelashes and took a deep look at the crown of Ying Xiu’s black hair.
A moment later, his lowered fingertips slowly rose and landed on the youth’s back, gently embracing him in a powerful, protective posture.
After a long hug, Ying Xiu finally remembered the important matter. He let go of Xie Zhou’s hand, stepped back, looked up at him, and had a serious expression on his face, as if he was about to ask something extremely important.
Xie Zhou lowered his eyes and listened carefully.
“By the way, when do we eat?” Ying Xiu asked very seriously.
Xie Zhou: “…”
He looked down at the youth’s sparkling eyes and said softly, “Anytime.”
…
Life in the Palace
On a single imperial desk, a tea table was placed, and a display of delicacies was laid out.
Palace attendants, moving like flowing water, silently set the dishes. After presenting the last one, they lowered their heads and left one by one.
The candlelight shone on their dark-colored robes. Their footsteps were unusually in sync, walking quickly yet calmly in the majestic palace, like a solemn procession of terracotta warriors.
For some reason, Ying Xiu suddenly remembered what Xie Zhou had said before.
He said that in Jiankang, there was a Qinhuai River that flowed all the way out of the city, flowing into the fields and paths where children liked to play, running back and forth under the bright sunlight.
Every word seemed like it was just yesterday.
Where in this solemn, eerie palace was there living water, sunlight, fields, or paths?
Ying Xiu blinked lightly. The majestic candlelight all around him flickered faintly, making his eyes hurt.
He lowered his head and took two bites. He didn’t feel like eating and couldn’t help but ask Xie Zhou in a low voice, “Is this where you grew up?”
It was a very foolish question. As an imperial heir, Xie Zhou would naturally grow up in the majestic palace.
Xie Zhou put down his silver chopsticks. He had no expression on his face, but he said calmly and indifferently, “This is a good place.”
For him, this was a very good place.
After all, beasts are naturally suited for a cruel fighting arena.
And Ying Xiu was a treasure he had plundered.
…He would protect it well.
Ying Xiu believed Xie Zhou’s words. Although he didn’t like it here and always felt that it was too stuffy, the magnificent and grand dome above his head made it a little difficult for him to breathe.
But since Xie Zhou said it was a good place, it must be a good place.
After dinner, Xie Zhou went to the evening court. Before leaving, he told Ying Xiu that he could do anything he wanted, as long as he didn’t leave.
Ying Xiu walked around the hall by himself. He walked to the door of the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Before he could even step out, a palace attendant appeared like a phantom from nowhere. He bowed and pleaded, “Young master, please do not step out of this palace.”
He had a smile on his face, but there was no emotion in his eyes. Since he had his head lowered, Ying Xiu couldn’t see his expression. However, when he heard his pleading tone, he immediately retracted his foot.
The golden-robed youth stood behind the door. The threshold of the Hall of Supreme Harmony was not high, just barely clearing his ankle. He could cross it with a single step.
But despite the insignificant height, he never crossed it.
Ying Xiu was bored and stared at the scenery outside. The dusk was setting in, and the clouds had gathered at the end of the sky, making it feel distant and silent.
In front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony was a large platform. On the platform stood hundreds of Imperial Guards on duty. Looking down, there were layers of red stairs and a long jade staircase that stretched all the way to the horizon.
On the horizon, the outlines of rising eaves and beautiful tiles could be faintly seen, different in height but all equally majestic and terrifying.
So many palace halls. It feels like many assassins could hide there.
Ying Xiu silently calculated in his mind. If one assassin could hide on one corner of the eaves, then…
In the eyes of the chief eunuch guarding the hall, the person the emperor had confined was staring blankly at the sky, as if he longed for freedom.
The chief eunuch couldn’t help but take another look. Thinking of the emperor’s cruel and tyrannical methods and his jealous nature, he quickly looked away.
Alas, poor youth.
Ying Xiu’s legs went numb from standing, so he turned and walked back.
The chief eunuch sighed in his heart. The youth probably knew that there was no hope for his freedom in this life, so he was forced to accept it and turn back in a lonely manner.
The lonely Ying Xiu returned to the Hall of Supreme Harmony and decided to redecorate his bed. Since he was going to live here for a long time, he had to make it look the way he liked.
When the emperor returned from the evening court, he casually asked the chief eunuch how Ying Xiu was doing today. The chief eunuch said cautiously, “Your Majesty, the young master has been staring outside the door and looks truly pitiful.”
At last, the emperor had taken a liking to someone. Although it was a man, at least it was a person, a living one at that, who was also handsome and full of spirit.
Even though he had seen countless people, he had never seen such a spirited youth.
What was the emperor doing keeping him confined here?
The emperor gave him a slight look, and the eunuch immediately lowered his head, not daring to say anything else.
“…staring outside the door, looking truly pitiful.”
Even after he walked into the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the emperor’s mind was still replaying that sentence. He looked up, just about to look for Ying Xiu in the hall.
When he did, he saw that the sleeping quarters had been completely changed. The screen had been moved, revealing the light from the window. The moonlight shone in, casting a clear light on the floor.
The youth was bending over, holding one imperial robe in each hand, moving them like an ant moving its home.
They looked at each other, and Ying Xiu was quite embarrassed. He explained, “Well, you said I could do whatever I wanted. I want to…”
—I want to put Xie Zhou’s clothes on the bed and hug them to sleep.
Ying Xiu was a little nervous. Was he allowed to say that?
Xie Zhou followed his gaze. Through the gauze, he saw a small mountain piled up with snow-white imperial robes on the dragon bed. The middle of the small mountain was dented, which was clearly for a person to sleep in.
The emperor was silent for a moment. “You can do whatever you want.”
“I want to read,” Ying Xiu said with a hopeful look. “I want to read the historical records from previous years.”
The youth never beat around the bush when he spoke, but this time he didn’t bring it up on his own. He waited for Xie Zhou to say that he could do whatever he wanted before making his request.
Was he afraid he wouldn’t agree?
Xie Zhou was an incredibly deep man. He saw through Ying Xiu’s thoughts at a glance. “You want to reverse the verdict for Yu Ming?”
The emperor’s tone was very light, just like it always was. Ying Xiu couldn’t make out anything from it, so he simply nodded honestly. “Yes!”
He was sincere, bright, and didn’t try to hide anything. He didn’t even think about the consequences of what he was saying.
Xie Zhou looked at those eyes. Clear-sighted in this muddy world, only him.
“I will have someone get the records for you.”
He said.
It wasn’t a big deal. The man was a traitor. But if Ying Xiu cared about it and they could find some clues, it was not impossible to reverse the verdict for him.
Ying Xiu smiled. He looked up and kissed him lightly. The youth closed his eyes and kissed him clumsily, landing it right on Xie Zhou’s sharp brow bone.
Xie Zhou lowered his head, bringing himself down to his level, allowing the kiss to land on his lips.
With the emperor’s command, the officials of the court quickly brought the records, which were neatly stacked on a desk made of sandalwood. Among them were the records about the Lord of Shouchunwu.
Ying Xiu sat on the floor, hugging the records, and read with great concentration.
The contents recorded were similar to what his “Nine-Foot Daddy” had told him. Yu Ming had conspired with the enemy and betrayed the country. The previous emperor had ordered the extermination of his nine generations. One by one, strange names flashed before his eyes…
Ying Xiu’s gaze stopped on one of the names, Ming Xiluan, who was known as Lady She by the world. She came from a refugee background and was a famous female general who made the Qiang clan tremble with fear.
This was his mother.
Ying Xiu stared at the name for a very long time, trying to imagine his mother’s face and figure in his mind. After thinking for a long time, it was still a blurry image.
He looked down and saw the name of the person who had reported the case to the previous emperor—
A familiar name, Wang Yu.
This person was a retainer of Yu Ming at the time and claimed to be his trusted aide.
He was the one who personally presented the series of evidence that Yu Ming had conspired with the enemy and rebelled.
Ying Xiu’s face suddenly changed. Wang Yu, the Governor of Jiangzhou and the current Secretary of the Central Secretariat, was a retainer of the Wang clan of Langya.
…
An Eldest Son’s Grief
At the time, in Guangling, Xuzhou…
Since the last heavy snow of this year in the Southern Dynasty, the Wang clan of Langya had been closed off. The once lively Qionghua Platform was completely silent.
In the front hall, there were rows of coffins that had been sent from the capital. Inside were the bodies of the assassins.
Dozens of assassins, almost all of them turned to mud, were unrecognizable.
This was a warning.
The terrifying power of the heavens. The sharpest and most terrifying guillotine in the world was silently hanging over the neck of the Wang clan of Langya, ready to fall at any moment.
The more unknown, the more terrifying.
The paper money fell like another heavy snow.
The Eldest Son sat in front of the dozens of coffins, dressed in white mourning clothes.
He couldn’t tell which one was Ying Xiu. Fearing that Ying Xiu had suffered a wrong after his death, he treated every body in every coffin as if it were Ying Xiu.
He was a useless brother. Because he couldn’t get the right to control the canal’s transport, the illegitimate children of the family took advantage of him. He was busy with family feuds and neglected Ying Xiu.
This led to Ying Xiu being ordered by Wang Daokui to do such a dangerous thing, to assassinate the tyrant. His life was hanging by a thread, and he had gone and never returned.
The Eldest Son sat in front of the coffins, his face pale. He stumbled as he got up and sent off the coffins one by one.
This was an act of great insubordination. With his father still alive, he was wearing mourning clothes and keeping vigil for someone else. This was a clear curse on Wang Daokui.
The clan members were all discussing it, but Wang Shouzhen didn’t care.
He watched the coffins being buried one by one. He looked back at the century-old noble family of the Wang clan of Langya, which was now in a precarious state. He threw down his jade token, which symbolized his identity as the Eldest Son, and turned to leave.
Wang Daokui, who was seated behind a curtain, listened to the report from his servant. He didn’t even open his eyes. “He is a son of a noble family. How can he be so soft-hearted?”