Three Steps: From Assassin to Empress - Chapter 60
Chapter 60
“Really?” Ying Xiu was momentarily stunned. “Where is she? I want to see her.”
Xie Zhou didn’t speak. He gently clapped his hands, and the chief eunuch came in carrying a scroll. He placed the scroll on a stand and slowly unfurled it, revealing a portrait of a woman.
Ying Xiu stared intently at the painting, his clear pupils slightly unfocused. He found it hard to believe, not only because the woman in the painting looked similar to him, but also because her clothes were clearly those of a barbarian noble.
Ming Xiluan, the female general who was determined to reclaim the Central Plains and drive out the barbarians, how could she be wearing these clothes?
More than anything, Ying Xiu was concerned about Ming Xiluan’s safety. Before he could ask again, Xie Zhou said softly, “She is the Queen of the Qiang tribe. She is currently in Chang’an.”
Ying Xiu didn’t know much about the Qiang royal family. His only knowledge came from the Qiang envoy.
He suddenly remembered something and asked, “The Qiang prince who was an envoy to the Southern Dynasty, is he her adopted son?”
Xie Zhou didn’t expect Ying Xiu to notice this. He nodded gently. “Yes.”
Ying Xiu was in a daze. His birth mother was in a foreign land. Her husband was a savage Qiang chieftain, and the prince was a fierce man. He didn’t know how she had lived all these years.
Even before Ying Xiu spoke, Xie Zhou had already anticipated what he wanted to say.
“No.”
“I’m going to find her.”
The two voices almost overlapped, and the emperor’s was even faster.
“When I conquer the Central Plains and capture the Qiang royal family, you will naturally be able to see her.” The emperor’s tone was unquestionable, leaving no room for negotiation.
He didn’t care why Ming Xiluan had gone from a general who was determined to expel the Qiang to a Qiang queen. He only knew that he couldn’t let Ying Xiu leave him.
Ying Xiu was silent for a moment and asked Xie Zhou, “How many people will die then?”
In a flash, he had understood everything.
From the Grand Canal that spanned the four provinces to the clearing out of the noble clans that had been content with their lives south of the Yangtze River, it was clear that Emperor Zhaosu had a desire for a Northern Expedition.
Ever since his army’s supplies were insufficient in the third year of Yongning, forcing them to retreat, he had been preparing for the next Northern Expedition.
The world said that the current emperor was tyrannical and cruel, that he was impatient and irritable. On the contrary, he was more patient and cautious than anyone else.
It was only at this moment that Ying Xiu vaguely glimpsed the magnificent ambition beneath his calm facade.
The youth suddenly remembered that night when the white-robed retainer taught him how to read the world map.
The other’s long, cold finger crossed a natural chasm on the map and pointed at the fertile hills, tapping lightly.
“My hometown is here.”
It was only now that he finally understood the retainer’s unspoken words.
“My hometown is here— I will go back and conquer it one day.”
The memory came to an abrupt halt.
“…” Ying Xiu’s eyes were clear. He shook his head. “I just want to see her once, from a distance. If she’s living well, then I’ll be at ease.”
If she wasn’t living well, he would find a way to take her away.
“Ying Xiu,” the emperor’s voice was very soft, as if he was afraid of startling something. “No matter what, I will do this.”
Whether Ying Xiu had appeared or not, he would still launch a Northern Expedition and reclaim his homeland.
He hadn’t succeeded at the age of fifteen, so he had lain dormant for nine years, waiting for nine springs and autumns. No one could stop him again.
Ying Xiu looked at the portrait, unable to come back to his senses for a long time. If this was what the emperor was going to do, then…
After a long time, Ying Xiu finally moved. He hugged the emperor from behind, his head rubbing against the other’s cold collarbone. He turned his face and lightly pecked him, saying only one thing: “I believe in you.”
Xie Zhou didn’t speak. He just reached out and pressed Ying Xiu’s head down, embracing him, and deepening the cold kiss.
Ying Xiu was kissed until he felt weak and exhausted. He went limp, sitting lazily on Xie Zhou’s lap, his black hair cascading down.
Xie Zhou held him as if he were holding a one-of-a-kind treasure, his movements incredibly careful.
Not far away, the chief eunuch watched this scene with relief.
Finally, there’s someone who can handle His Majesty!
Go, young master!
…
The Forbidden Chamber
In the blink of an eye, it was the New Year’s Feast. In the main hall of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, palace servants came and went like a flowing stream. Their movements were swift yet orderly, showing the imperial family’s dignity.
All those who could attend the feast were nobles, marquises, and generals.
The current emperor was known for his tyrannical nature and disliked makeup. Therefore, everyone was bare-faced, their caps straight, and their shoes plain. Their expressions were cautious and solemn, afraid of walking into the palace for the feast and being carried out horizontally.
The officials who had seen the golden-robed young master in the East Hall exchanged silent glances.
“Do you think that young master will appear today?”
“I don’t know. With His Majesty’s unpredictable nature, who knows how long that young master will live.”
“I bet he has some tricks up his sleeve, otherwise His Majesty wouldn’t have taken a liking to him and hidden him so well that not a single word could get out.”
“Yeah, he’s probably a person who’s good at ‘long-sleeved dancing’ (socially adept).”
The ‘socially adept’ Ying Xiu was on his way. He sat in the imperial sedan chair, holding snacks in his hands, eating them intermittently.
Ying Xiu was eating happily. When he looked up, the scenery around him became more and more solemn. There were high walls and black tiles. In the distance, the beaded curtains on the white jade towers swayed, like silent white figures.
The snack in Ying Xiu’s mouth fell out with a plop.
He quickly turned his head and asked the sedan chair bearers, “Did we go the wrong way?”
The sedan chair bearers lowered their heads and respectfully replied, “Of course not. His Majesty told you to go there first. He said he has a surprise for you.”
“Oh,” Ying Xiu believed them. But when the sedan chair was carried into the tower, and the sedan chair bearers put it down and turned to leave, they saw Ying Xiu, who was supposed to be in the chair, suddenly appear in front of them, his eyes sparkling with a smile:
“Where are you going?”
The sedan chair bearers looked at each other, and a fierce glint flashed in their eyes. They were guards from the palace, so how could they not handle a young, handsome male consort?
Half an hour later.
The sedan chair bearers were kneeling on the ground, their faces twisted in pain. They used all their strength to crawl toward the hall door and desperately knocked on the bronze ring. Their voices were weak and filled with fear. “Let us out! Please!”
The hidden guards who were stationed outside the hall to prevent Ying Xiu from escaping sneered. How could he possibly let them out?
However, this person’s voice seemed to have too many different tones, as if many people were pleading, and some of them were a little rough. Did His Majesty like this kind of thing?
His Majesty’s tastes were truly beyond what mere mortals could understand.
…
A Tyrant’s Trauma
At the main hall of the Hall of Supreme Harmony…
The emperor behind the curtain looked at the empty seat beside him. He lowered his eyes and looked coldly at the Empress Dowager not far away.
The latter’s eyes were compassionate. She sat in the highest seat, with the face of a Bodhisattva.
“Empress Dowager,” the emperor’s tone was ice-cold, with not a hint of respect for an elder. “Where did you steal my treasure?”
Lady Xie slowly raised a golden cup, took a sip of tea, and then slowly put it down. She leisurely wiped her mouth with a soft handkerchief. “What is His Majesty saying? I don’t understand.”
“You don’t understand?” The emperor smiled. His beautiful, cold features became incredibly dangerous.
In the next moment, all the ministers in the hall immediately knelt down. The lively New Year’s Feast instantly fell silent. The nobles and generals prostrated themselves, their heads touching the ground, not daring to say a word.
In the dead silence, everyone held their breath. They could only hear the emperor’s cold and calm voice from the highest seat. “Prime Minister Xie is getting old.”
Prime Minister Xie Kui, the Empress Dowager’s own older brother, the father of the late empress, and the current emperor’s maternal uncle.
The emperor seemed to be just sighing casually, but it made Xie Kui, who was kneeling in the crowd, break out in a cold sweat. He said loudly,
“Your Majesty, this official knows he is old. I only wish to serve Your Majesty with all my might until I die.”
Lady Xie’s expression was subtle. She hadn’t expected the emperor to go so far for that person. It seemed like he was going to make a move against the Xie clan of Jianchang.
Her lips moved. She really wanted to say something, but she saw the chief eunuch walk up to the emperor and whisper something. The emperor suddenly stood up and left.
It seemed he already knew the person’s whereabouts.
Lady Xie still had that compassionate look on her face. She slightly curled her lips. Others might not know, but she knew best what that place meant to the emperor.
It was a taboo, the tyrant’s reverse scale. No matter who it was, touching it meant certain death.
—A beautiful monster who killed his father and his monarch, how could he ever be worthy of love? He should live in hell for all eternity.
…
It’s so cold, is this hell?
Ying Xiu sneezed. Not far away, the sedan chair bearers were huddled together in fear. They all had terrified looks on their faces, staring at Ying Xiu as if he were a great beast.
Noticing their gazes, the golden-robed youth frowned. All he did was beat them up and politely ask them why they brought him here. If they didn’t want to say, so be it. Why did they have to look so ugly?
He didn’t like ugly things.
The sedan chair bearers became even more terrified. They couldn’t understand why a delicate-looking youth was so ruthless. He was more like a trained fighter than they were.
If only they had known, if only they had known that he was so good at fighting, they would never have come… They just wanted to go home.
The sedan chair bearers’ eyes were watery. When they remembered where this place was, they couldn’t help but burst into tears. “Waaah, we’re going to die!” They didn’t forget to kindly remind Ying Xiu, “You’re going to die too! This is a forbidden area in the palace! This is the Dan Ding Pavilion!”
Ying Xiu didn’t like it when people cried in front of him. He couldn’t help but ask, “What is the Dan Ding Pavilion?”
A sedan chair bearer answered vaguely, “It’s the late empress’s former living quarters.”
The late empress? Xie Zhou’s mother?
Ying Xiu wanted to ask more questions, but the group of sedan chair bearers closed their mouths in fear. They didn’t even dare to breathe, as if something extremely dangerous was about to arrive.
In the next moment, a bright light from candles suddenly poured into the hall, making him close his eyes.
He barely managed to open his eyes and saw that the previously closed hall door was wide open. A dense crowd of Imperial Guards stood solemnly outside the hall, their murderous aura overwhelming.
The person at the front was none other than the emperor, dressed in a black ceremonial robe and hat, with a chilling aura.
Ying Xiu’s eyes lit up. He abandoned the snacks on the side and rushed toward Xie Zhou. “You’re here!”
Xie Zhou lowered his eyes, his gaze tracing over the youth inch by inch. Then he slowly retracted it.
He looks okay. I’ll have the Imperial Medical Academy check on him later.
Ying Xiu hugged Xie Zhou’s waist, holding on tightly for a while. The hall was dimly lit and he had been scared to death. Thankfully, there were a few sedan chair bearers to keep him company.
“You’ve been frightened,” Xie Zhou said in a low voice. He reached out and gently hugged Ying Xiu back.
The sedan chair bearers who were huddled in the corner instantly widened their eyes. Wait, aren’t you going to look at who’s all bruised and swollen? Have you ever seen someone who’s been frightened beat people until they can’t get up?
Before the sedan chair bearers could speak, the Imperial Guards forcefully covered their mouths and dragged them away silently.
Shang Weijun made a gesture to the Imperial Guards. The meaning was to get the whole story, uproot the remaining spies, execute them all on the spot, and then send the corpses back to the Palace of Longevity and Health.
After giving the order, Shang Weijun carefully glanced at His Majesty and the youth in his arms. He then quietly led his men away.
In the huge palace, only Ying Xiu and Xie Zhou were left. Ying Xiu slowly let go of his hands and asked in a low voice, “Xie Zhou, whose palace is this?”
He naturally knew that this was Xie Zhou’s mother’s palace, but he didn’t want to ask directly. What if he touched on a painful subject for Xie Zhou?
He would ask indirectly. If Xie Zhou wanted to talk about it, he would naturally tell him. If he didn’t want to, they would just drop the subject.
The emperor looked up at the beaded curtain hanging from the dome. There was no expression on his face, as if what had happened in this palace had nothing to do with him.
“This is my mother’s former palace.”
Xie Zhou didn’t hide it from him. He stated calmly, “When the Qiang people invaded, the chaos in Chang’an caused my mother to become frail and sickly. In the eleventh year of Jianyuan, she died.” He didn’t say the rest.
That year, he was ten years old.
Emperor Yuanxi was heartbroken over the loss of his beloved. In addition, he was constantly restricted by the noble clans in court. He became depressed and his personality changed drastically. He became obsessed with cultivating immortality, only to have his beloved return.
A Daoist who claimed to be from Penglai said that as long as he found a person with a similar appearance to the late empress and consumed a soul-returning elixir day and night, he could summon the late empress’s soul and have it reincarnate into the new body.
Emperor Yuanxi searched for several months and felt that those people had the appearance but not the charm of the late empress. He was dejected all day long until he saw the crown prince left behind by the late empress—
Emperor Zhaosu still remembered the look his father gave him that day. It was bright, brilliant, and filled with joy and happiness.
He walked over and timidly called out, “Father.”
He was like someone searching for the moon in water, for flowers in a mirror. If he had flowers but no moon, his hatred would linger. If he had a moon but no flowers, his hatred would last even longer.
…
Later.
The first time Emperor Zhaosu saw Ying Xiu, he was reminded of the look his father gave him that day. It was very similar, but completely different.
It was also love, but Ying Xiu’s gaze was pure and clean.
So, there was also a kind of love in this world that wouldn’t make him feel disgusted.
Ying Xiu instinctively sensed something was off. He held back from moving, allowing Xie Zhou’s cold and rough fingertips to gently brush his eyelashes. The shadow fell over his eyes, and the other’s beautiful and bewitching features became indistinct.
After the chilling touch, Xie Zhou suddenly spoke and asked softly, “Do you want to see her?”
…Who?
Ying Xiu was stunned for a moment. He quickly realized that the “her” Xie Zhou was referring to was the late empress.
He didn’t refuse and followed Xie Zhou closely.
Xie Zhou took a long-lasting lamp. Holding the candle in his hand, he parted the beaded curtain that hung from the ceiling and slowly walked into the depths of the hall.
The Buddhist light was faint, a tiny star-like light, illuminating the pale furnishings all around. The low couches and folding chairs were covered with white gauze. The palace lanterns and jade artifacts seemed to be hidden in a fog, standing there from over a decade ago.
Ying Xiu walked closer, step by step. He saw a silk book on the desk. It was a half-written copybook. The ink on the inkstone had already hardened like stone. He could vaguely imagine the young late empress sitting at the desk, holding a brush and practicing calligraphy.
He looked up and saw that Xie Zhou had stopped. He stood in front of a portrait. There were three people in the portrait: the emperor and empress holding hands, and a smiling child.
That was a young Xie Zhou…
Ying Xiu couldn’t help but look at it again and again. He looked at the portrait and then at Xie Zhou next to him. Xie Zhou let him look, his features calm and indifferent, as if the person in the portrait had nothing to do with him.
The young emperor held the candle in his hand, dressed in a ceremonial robe. He stood in the pitch-black palace with an expressionless face.
The cold candlelight flickered on his robe, like a statue of eternally cold glass.
Ying Xiu couldn’t help but quietly hug Xie Zhou from behind, his head leaning on Xie Zhou’s shoulder.
It was very quiet. Neither of them spoke.
The youth’s body heat was transferred to Xie Zhou, dispelling the coldness that was on him. He closed his eyes and didn’t move, allowing Ying Xiu to lean on him.
The long-lasting lamp in the emperor’s hand flickered faintly. The weak light vaguely passed over their intertwined robes, making the ceremonial robe and the golden robe shine together.
After a long time.
“Let’s go,” Xie Zhou said, walking out. Ying Xiu followed behind him, chattering, “What good food is at the feast today?”
Xie Zhou didn’t care about food and had never paid attention to the dishes at the banquet. He paused. “I’ll have the Imperial Kitchen make whatever you want.”
The two of them walked out. Their two figures, one tall and one short, were elongated by the faint candlelight. Behind them, the late empress in the portrait gazed at them, her eyes gentle.
…
The Public Confrontation
At the main hall of the Hall of Supreme Harmony…
His Majesty had not yet returned. The nobles could only kneel on the ground without moving. They were still terrified. They kept their heads down, and no one dared to speak.
A moment ago, His Majesty had left the hall with the Imperial Guards. That aura had truly scared them. It was as if a demon had crawled out of hell and was ready to destroy the world at any moment.
A tyrant. A tyrant of all time.
Who provoked him this time?!
As they muttered to themselves, they looked up at the prime minister kneeling at the very front. Several gazes met in mid-air, finally converging on Xie Kui.
Xie Kui, who felt a gaze on his back, asked, “?”
He looked up at Lady Xie in the highest seat. His eyes were clearly asking, “What did you do?”
Lady Xie avoided her brother’s gaze, raised her golden cup, and pretended to be calm. The emperor had been gone for so long, so he must have killed that person. She was really looking forward to it…
The sound of orderly and solemn footsteps came from outside the hall. The tyrant was back!
The ministers immediately lowered their heads and knelt on the ground like quails.
A few old ministers who were hard of hearing didn’t hear it and were still looking up. Their colleagues next to them slapped them and gestured with their mouths. Only then did they belatedly lower their heads.
The footsteps got closer, and the people in the hall became more and more terrified. Only Lady Xie was calm. She slightly raised her delicate eyebrows and leisurely sipped her tea.
In the next moment, she suddenly widened her eyes, and her expression changed slightly. The emperor… the emperor actually brought a youth back with him.
The emperor was followed by a golden-robed youth. The youth was exceptionally handsome and captivating, especially his pair of clear eyes, which made it impossible to look away.
The ministers in the front row knelt on the ground with their heads down. In their peripheral vision, they only saw two sets of robes float past them. They sensed something was wrong and secretly wondered, how did it feel like there was an extra person?
It seemed like they were very close to His Majesty. Was it their imagination?
Ying Xiu followed Xie Zhou all the way to the vicinity of the dragon throne. He slightly widened his eyes and noticed that there was an extra chair next to the dragon throne. It was carved with a phoenix, and it was luxurious and elegant.
Whose chair is this?
Ying Xiu guessed. Before he could think of a possible candidate, the emperor said to him, “Sit.”
It was a simple, clear, and direct command.
“Oh!” Ying Xiu obediently sat down.
Xie Zhou smiled and sat on the dragon throne beside him. The chief eunuch, who was good at reading expressions, said softly to the ministers below, “My Lords, it is the New Year. Why are you kneeling on the ground?”
With this command, the ministers slowly stood up. Just as they were about to return to their seats, they inadvertently looked up. Over the layers of curtains, they saw that there seemed to be an extra person next to the dragon throne?!
They had been kneeling for too long. Were their eyes playing tricks on them?
They all thought to themselves and couldn’t help but look closely. Their faces were filled with shock. There was actually a golden-robed youth next to His Majesty.
That youth, whose origins were unknown, was sitting on the phoenix throne!
Everyone’s hearts were filled with astonishment. The Southern Dynasty has an empress? And their empress is a man! And such a young man! His Majesty actually likes men!
One thought after another flashed through their minds. For a moment, they didn’t know which one to be more shocked about.
They quickly returned to their seats and sat down in a hurry, some raising their wine cups, others burying their heads in their food. No one dared to look up, afraid of being made an example of by His Majesty.
Lady Xie was also shocked at this moment. He’s a monster, a monster indeed. How could he do such a shocking thing? At the New Year’s Feast, in front of the entire court, he let a male consort sit on the phoenix throne. What about the rites and rules of the Southern Dynasty?!
That male consort had clearly trespassed into a forbidden area, yet the emperor not only didn’t punish him but even treated him with such respect. It showed how important that male consort was.
Lady Xie looked at Ying Xiu through the beaded curtain. Ying Xiu didn’t notice her gaze, because there were too many people secretly and openly looking at him.
He wanted to cover his face, but he realized that if he did, he wouldn’t have a hand to eat with, so he gave up on that idea.
The emperor didn’t care about the gazes below. He picked up his silver chopsticks and leisurely served food to Ying Xiu.
He would pick up food, and Ying Xiu would eat it, leaving all the nobles in the hall stunned. What… what were they doing?
—The tyrant is serving food to a male consort?
Did this male consort save His Majesty in his past life?
A few old-fashioned ministers couldn’t stand it. They could accept His Majesty killing people, but they couldn’t accept him serving food to a male consort. Where was the dignity of the imperial family?
“Your Majesty, this… this is not in accordance with the rites…” A minister said tremblingly. His voice was not loud, and he was being cautious, barely audible in the quiet hall.
“I remember you,”
The emperor finished serving the last dish to Ying Xiu. His cold gaze slowly fell on that person.
The minister’s face turned red when he heard this. He was flattered, but when he heard the next sentence from His Majesty, his face suddenly turned pale.
“You’re a retainer of the Xie clan of Jianchang?”
“…Your Majesty, this humble official is not a retainer of the Xie clan of Jianchang. This humble official only has one family. I was born in the Southern Dynasty and grew up in the Southern Dynasty. And this humble official will only ever be Your Majesty’s subject.”
The minister’s body trembled. He tremblingly left his seat, knelt on the empty ground, and kowtowed to the emperor repeatedly.
Xie Zhou laughed softly. His laughter sent chills down the spines of everyone present. “You were the one who presided over the Shouchunwu case, weren’t you?”
When he said this, the entire hall was in an uproar.
Ying Xiu put down his silver chopsticks. He looked over the sparse curtains, his gaze sweeping from top to bottom, over one complicated expression after another.