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The day after the wedding, Yuan Ce set off for Chang’an. As he had instructed, Jiang Zhiyi left the Shen Manor after his departure and moved into a newly acquired residence in the city of Guzang, registered under her name. She named it “Yaoguang Garden.”
In light of Yuan Ce’s promise to spend every New Year’s Eve with her in the future, Jiang Zhiyi busied herself managing their new home while waiting for his return. Every day, she was occupied with preparations, bustling about from morning till night, working tirelessly through the end of the year and into the new one.
Yuan Ce arrived in Chang’an during the first month of the new year.
On the night before entering the city, at a pavilion in the middle of a lake outside the capital, Yuan Ce sat face-to-face with Qi Yan in a small chamber, separated by a chessboard.
In his secret letter, Qi Yan had expressed his willingness to collaborate, stating that ever since the second prince had conspired with Hedong to rebel, the balance of power in the court had been disrupted, and the emperor’s suspicions remained difficult to dispel. Thus, despite the former crown prince having been deposed, no new heir had been appointed, leaving the situation unresolved. Since neither of them could afford to wait any longer, they might as well cooperate to change the current state of affairs.
Yuan Ce’s original plan upon coming to Chang’an was to collaborate with Qi Yan; their mutual understanding saved him much explanation.
Qi Yan studied Yuan Ce across the chessboard: “Young General Shen, coming alone without a weapon—such boldness.”
“You misunderstand, Your Highness,” Yuan Ce replied, leaning forward on his knees. “Weapons that cannot enter the palace gates are nothing but scrap metal. I have not even brought a blade.”
Qi Yan smiled: “It’s a pity we haven’t met before. If we had, I would have considered you a kindred spirit.” His smile faded as he grew serious. “Young General Shen, your journey into the palace will leave you utterly defenseless. How do you plan to escape?”
Yuan Ce smirked: “If I am unarmed, then those who wish to kill me must carry the weapons.”
In their locked gaze, they saw an unspoken agreement reflected in each other’s eyes.
The emperor’s insomnia and paranoia had persisted for a long time, and his mental state had grown increasingly unstable. Regardless of day or night, he was surrounded by trusted guards, making it impossible for anyone to approach him with a weapon—unless…
The person the emperor wished to kill came before him.
This time, Emperor Xingwu had found no overt wrongdoing in Yuan Ce’s actions, so he summoned him to the palace under the pretext of discussing strategy toward Xiluo. Even if the emperor intended to kill Yuan Ce, he could not do so openly, lest it upset the people and destabilize his reign. Therefore, the emperor would likely meet with Yuan Ce in the inner chambers.
Qi Yan spoke: “Neither you nor I wish to follow the old path of my second brother and Hedong, where loyal soldiers and innocent civilians would spill blood and sacrifice their lives. In this game, one must act openly while the other works in the shadows. Since Young General Shen is taking the lead in the open, I will do my best to pave the way and handle the aftermath in secret.”
Yuan Ce glanced up at Qi Yan: “How can I trust you, Your Highness?”
Qi Yan lowered his eyes and smiled: “Privately, the marriage alliance was my debt to Princess Yongying. I was powerless to secure her freedom, but you gave it to her. I sincerely hope she spends the rest of her life in freedom and peace.”
“Publicly, I do not wish to see loyal ministers and capable generals die in vain. Young General Shen’s military prowess is a once-in-a-century talent, making him a rare general. By abandoning Princess Yongying’s plan to terminate the marriage alliance and choosing to risk himself instead, you demonstrated loyalty to love, sparing both nations from large-scale warfare—a loyalty to benevolence. Coming here alone, without a single soldier, shows loyalty to righteousness. In my eyes, such loyalty carries far more weight than mere allegiance to a surname. Though Hexi may lose the name ‘Shen,’ it cannot afford to lose the person of Young General Shen.”
“Naturally, though these words are true, they are also empty promises. Therefore—” Qi Yan pushed a box toward Yuan Ce, “this is my seal. Young General Shen may verify its authenticity and confirm whether it matches the imprint on the secret letter. I assume you’ve entrusted the letter to someone reliable. Should I break my word, your person can make the letter public, and I will destroy my own future. When chaos engulfs my imperial family, the Xuan Ce Army can march straight into Chang’an.”
Yuan Ce opened the box and, after a moment, raised his eyes: “Deal.”
________________________________________
The next day, inside the palace.
The towering double-eaved roof of the hall shimmered with golden dragons coiled around its eaves, and the glazed green tiles gleamed brilliantly under the sun.
At the foot of the white marble steps, Yuan Ce stood clad in a black robe with a turned-down collar, bathed in the morning light. He spread his arms, allowing the eunuchs to search him.
Standing once again before this palace, which he had once wanted to destroy completely, Yuan Ce’s mind wandered—
He wondered how Jiang Zhiyi was managing their new home. She had said she would build him a training ground, construct a lakeside pavilion for snow-viewing, and plant an apricot grove. She had so many ideas—would she be able to manage it all? Perhaps when he returned home, none of it would be finished.
That would be fine too—it would mean he hadn’t kept her waiting too long.
The eunuchs patted down Yuan Ce’s body, confirming he carried no weapons. One of them stepped forward with a smile: “Young General Shen, thank you for your efforts. Please proceed.”
Yuan Ce snapped out of his thoughts, lifted his robes, and ascended the steps one by one. With each step upward, the sense of killing intent grew heavier.
Closing his eyes and tilting his head—he listened.
Over a hundred imperial guards, thirty of whom were equipped with heavy crossbows.
A single bolt from a heavy crossbow could pierce through an unarmored person. Thirty bolts—more than enough for a siege. The old emperor certainly knew how to put on a show.
Yuan Ce took the final step and crossed the threshold into the hall. His peripheral vision swept past the folding screens on either side, meeting the oppressive gaze of the emperor seated on the dragon throne.
“Your humble servant pays respects to Your Majesty.” Yuan Ce stepped forward calmly, lowering his head and bowing.
The emperor’s heavy gaze fell upon him, and his raspy voice echoed: “Do you know why I summoned you here?”
“To discuss strategy toward Xiluo.”
“But our policy toward Xiluo has long been decided. I need not have summoned you for this purpose. Now that we must discuss it again, tell me—whose fault is this?”
“It is my fault.”
“What fault?”
Yuan Ce raised his eyes: “I executed the Xiluo envoys and took the head of the second prince of Xiluo. I defied Your Majesty’s will and committed treason.”
The emperor stared at Yuan Ce, his chest rising and falling. He raised his hand and brought it down forcefully.
The palace doors slowly closed. The folding screens collapsed with a thunderous crash. The sound of armor clinking filled the air as dozens of imperial guards surged out from behind the screens, surrounding Yuan Ce.
The crossbowmen in the front row knelt, thirty crossbows aimed directly at Yuan Ce in the center of the circle.
“Shen Yuan Ce, I never imagined…” The emperor rose from his dragon throne, supported by eunuchs as he descended the platform slowly. “Even if you harbored rebellious intentions, I didn’t think you’d be foolish enough to come here, unarmed and defenseless, for the sake of a woman. For a woman, you stand here, exposed and vulnerable, ready to be slaughtered. Shen Jie’s son—if he were watching from beyond, what would he think?”
Yuan Ce clasped his hands behind his back and nodded: “So Your Majesty is curious about this.”
The emperor stopped outside the circle of guards, observing Yuan Ce’s calm demeanor. Narrowing his eyes, he made a subtle gesture.
The thirty crossbowmen fired their bolts in unison, but the next instant, all their strings went silent.
The crossbowmen were startled into confusion. Emperor Xingwu’s head snapped up abruptly.
For a fleeting moment, the entire hall seemed to freeze. Then, like a bolt of lightning, the youth in black darted forward and swiftly pulled a saber from the waist of one of the imperial guards: “Since Your Majesty is so curious, I will send you to ask him yourself.”
The armed guards hastily drew their swords and surrounded him while the emperor, shielded by his attendants, retreated in panic.
In an instant, Yuan Ce struck down three men with swift, decisive blows, seizing another saber and gripping it in his left hand.
A eunuch shouted frantically toward the outer hall: “Guards—quickly, come protect His Majesty!”
“There’s no need to shout, Your Majesty,” Yuan Ce said with a faint smile. “No one will approach your carefully woven cage for at least a quarter of an hour.” He paused, his lips curling. “Though now, it seems this cage belongs to you.”
The emperor’s pupils contracted, and his hands beneath the wide sleeves of his yellow robe trembled violently. “You… you and my son…”
Yuan Ce wielded both sabers, the blades flashing as he moved. Blood splattered three feet high.
Suddenly, echoes of last night’s conversation with Qi Yan resurfaced in his mind—
“Father trusts me only to a limited extent; I cannot fully control the palace. However, I can do two things: First, ensure the safety of Lady Shen when she is summoned to the palace tomorrow as a ‘guest,’ alleviating Young General Shen’s concerns. Second, neutralize the defenses outside the inner chambers for a quarter of an hour. If Young General Shen can break out of the inner chambers within that time, I can help him escape like a cicada shedding its shell. Afterward, I will guarantee the safety of everyone in the Shen Manor, both in Chang’an and Hexi.”
“In addition to what Your Highness has mentioned, there is one more task I need you to undertake.”
“Young General Shen, please speak.”
“I once obtained heavy crossbows from the imperial guards during the marriage alliance delegation. I know how to sabotage their mechanisms so that the crossbowmen won’t detect any issues before firing. I have handed over the schematics to Your Highness. Please handle these crossbows for me. The rest—a quarter of an hour—will be enough.”
________________________________________
Blood rained down like a storm, and the sounds of slaughter filled the air. The sliding doors of the inner chamber were splattered with streams of fresh, steaming blood.
Wave after wave of charging imperial guards fell lifelessly into pools of blood. The bodies piled up, leaving no room to step. The once-majestic palace had turned into a chaotic abattoir.
Yuan Ce’s thin robes were drenched in blood—both others’ and his own. Despite sustaining multiple wounds during the fierce battle, he stood tall and resolute in the great hall.
The metallic stench of blood filled the air, invigorating yet suffocating. Slowly, Yuan Ce raised his blood-soaked face, his crimson-tinged eyes locking onto the figure clad in yellow atop the dragon throne.
Emperor Xingwu’s fingers tightened around the hilt of a saber, raising the weapon in his hand.
After a quarter of an hour, smoke rose throughout the palace grounds. The imperial army mobilized, encircling the inner chambers.
Qi Yan stood atop the marble steps, his gaze fixed firmly on the entrance of the inner hall.
The massive doors creaked open. Inside the hall, corpses lay scattered, and rivers of blood flowed freely.
The youth in black, his back to the door, held a saber in one hand and the emperor’s severed head aloft in the other.
Outside, the crowd was so horrified they forgot to move or make a sound.
The waiting crossbowmen lined up before the hall, their arrows aimed uniformly at the silhouette of the youth.
Qi Yan watched as the youth, identical in build to Shen Yuan Ce, made a subtle gesture. Closing his eyes lightly, Qi Yan raised his hand and brought it down sharply.
Arrows flew in unison, piercing through the youth’s chest. He collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
In the thirteenth year of Emperor Xingwu’s reign, the emperor was assassinated in the inner chambers of the palace. The fourth prince ascended the throne as the eldest legitimate son. That year marked the first year of the Yongning era.
Historical records state: Shen Yuan Ce, courtesy name Rangzhi, was the son of the Hexi military governor during the Xingwu era of Daye. At fifteen, he joined the Xuan Ce Army of Hexi. At eighteen, he led troops to repel the Northern Jie invaders, achieving consecutive victories until he reached the enemy’s royal court and burned the tomb of the Northern Jie king, earning the title of “God of War” for the first time. At nineteen, he quelled the Hedong rebellion, restored peace within the borders, executed the rebel leader, and was enfeoffed as Marquis Zhechong. At twenty, he assassinated the reigning emperor and died at the age of twenty-one, pierced through by countless arrows.
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