#83: The Galaxy Overflows (Part 2)

Whether or not Song Lan had discovered that the person who returned to the military camp in Youzhou wasn’t Yan Lang, Song Yaofeng, who had already reached the area north of the river, was called to a halt and slowly returned to the capital.

If she were to re-enter the capital city, getting out again would be incredibly difficult. Song Lan had counted on this, believing that Luo Wei would make her move to rescue her before she returned to the capital.

The empire was vast, and this move was meant to lure Luo Wei out. Although Song Lan had people patrolling the capital, he still felt that since she had escaped Mount Guyou, she probably wouldn’t return to the city.

His trusted aides even visited the residences of those literati officials in the capital but found no trace of her. Helpless, he could only temporarily suppress the matter of her disappearance while at the same time dealing with the fallout of the Remonstrance of Jinghe Autumn and the “False Dragon’s Roar” incident. He also had to prepare for the various administrative matters of his new reign, and he had become noticeably thinner.

When Chang Zhao arrived at the rear hall of Qianfang Palace, Song Lan was taking a break, using a brush to write down the widely circulating folk song “False Dragon’s Roar.” While the sound of bronze and drums could be stopped, this orally transmitted song was proving impossible to ban.

The tea beside him was still warm. There were two copies of an imperial edict that had been transcribed. Chang Zhao glanced at them but did not disturb him. Only after Song Lan finished writing and looked up at him did he bow and say, “This subject greets Your Majesty. Is Your Majesty in good health?”

“Is there any news from outside the city?” Song Lan asked.

“Outside the city” referred to Song Yaofeng’s matter. Chang Zhao’s eyes shifted, and he shook his head, replying, “There is none.”

“Is there any unusual activity at the residences of my Imperial Brother of Linyang and the Prince of Xiaoxiang?” Song Lan asked again.

Chang Zhao still shook his head. “Your subject led people to watch both residences for a long time. Since the Empress was imprisoned, both estates have kept their gates shut and have not received any guests. The young prince, who used to attend lectures at Zishan Hall, no longer goes, for fear of being connected to this. I suspect that the two princes must have guessed that there was a change between Your Majesty and the Empress and are afraid of being suspected by Your Majesty, which is why they are trying to distance themselves. It seems they are not aware of the Empress’s plans.”

Song Lan had a headache and muttered, “She already knows about what happened back then and has escaped. She must have a plan. But if she is planning a rebellion, she needs to bring along a member of the imperial family to silence the public. My Imperial Brother is still at the border, and there has been no movement from Linyang and Xiaoxiang. I used Shukang as bait, but I haven’t seen her raise an army to save her. She wants revenge for my Imperial Brother and needs a legitimate reason to reverse the case. Without an imperial family member of the Song clan, how can she succeed?”

Song Lan’s thoughts were indeed correct. Chang Zhao listened quietly for a while, then asked, “Minister Ye just left. What are his thoughts on this?”

Song Lan gave him a meaningful glance and laughed with a hint of helplessness. “Pingnian, you don’t need to test me.”

Chang Zhao made a show of kneeling. “This subject would not dare.”

“Get up,” Song Lan waved his hand dismissively and sighed. “Tingyan’s suggestion is for me to temporarily put this matter aside and first settle the public opinion storm in the court after the Remonstrance of Jinghe Autumn. I’ve realized that although he has done many things for me, at his core, he is from the Ye military family. He has read the books of the sages since childhood and practiced loyalty to his ruler. Although his service is sincere, he is ultimately a man of tradition.”

He held the Xuan paper in his hand and examined it. “‘He who governs with a heart that cannot bear to see suffering will find it easy to rule the world.’ [1]—Tingyan advised me to generously reward Lu Hang’s family, issue an edict of self-admonishment as the ministers suggested, and live frugally, to encourage the Censorate and appease the hearts of the people.”

Chang Zhao lowered his eyes and suddenly asked, “If the Empress and the Grand Tutor were still here, they would probably have given Your Majesty the same advice. But it suddenly occurred to me, why has Your Majesty, since ascending the throne, continued the previous custom of treating the Censorate well?”

Song Lan looked at him and praised him with a smile. “It is Pingnian who understands me.”

He sighed. “My grandfather’s era treated censors and remonstrance officials well because the factional strife among the court officials was escalating and the Flower Cutting Reforms were happening. Without the Censors to check power, the Grand Tutor’s power would have been unchecked, and officials would have fought for power, creating who knows what kind of chaos. The late emperor treated them well to lead by example and educate the world through self-discipline. But for me... it was because I was young and had not yet taken power. Without the Censorate bureaus to suppress the influence of the Grand Tutor and the Empress’s family, if those two had developed treacherous intentions, the court and country would have been in turmoil.”

“But the Empress and the Grand Tutor are no longer here.”

Chang Zhao continued calmly, “The Grand Tutor is dead, and the literati rejoice. The Empress has escaped, leaving a reputation of being mentally unstable on Mount Guyou, and will surely not be able to return to the center of power in the short term. This is a godsend. With the Remonstrance of Jinghe Autumn, if Your Majesty can make a firm decision, you will surely achieve a great and hegemonic rule.”

Song Lan felt a layer of sweat on his palms.

Chang Zhao didn’t look up; he just continued. “There is not only one path to becoming a wise and holy ruler in the annals of history. The kingly way, the hegemonic way, which is better? Right and wrong are only in the hands of the victor. Why did the Grand Tutor choose Your Majesty over the Crown Prince? With the North’s constant stirrings, in ten or twenty years, the Great Yan Dynasty will be in a precarious state, which is precisely a great opportunity for Your Majesty to achieve great deeds and expand the territory. Have you not heard that history is full of slaughter? The outside world fights for the empire on horseback. Our dynasty has been at peace for too long. If the ruler cannot govern the country with an iron fist, when war reaches the capital one day, who will guard the country for the Son of Heaven?”

“In my opinion, the Remonstrance of Jinghe Autumn is the perfect opportunity. What does a temporary bad reputation matter? Your Majesty should use this opportunity to show the world that you are different from the previous dynasty. Only then, when you lead an army out of the passes in the future, can you avoid the chattering of the literati and silence the criticisms of the people.”

Song Lan slowly turned the dark jade thumb ring in his hand and said coldly, “This is a capital offense.”

“Since Your Majesty was able to guess that I instigated Minister Lu Hang’s actions and still gave me great importance, I am unwilling to hide my true thoughts,” Chang Zhao said, unperturbed. “If Your Majesty did not want to hear these words, why did you summon me here just as Minister Ye left? Since Your Majesty was able to think of promoting me to check Minister Ye’s power after the Empress lost her position, I know that Your Majesty is meticulous and will absolutely not sentence me to death for these words.”

Song Lan, without even raising an eyelid, commanded, “Zhuque, after he leaves the palace gates, reward him with poisoned wine and sentence him to death.”

Two men entered from outside the hall and grabbed Chang Zhao’s arms, one on each side, dragging him towards the palace gates. Chang Zhao did not panic at all and even laughed loudly, “With heaven’s will on your side, what do you have to fear, Your Majesty?”

After his figure disappeared, Liu Xi bowed and approached, and sure enough, he heard the emperor order, “Go and give him a cup of wine. If he drinks it without changing his expression, bring him back to see me.”

Liu Xi understood and withdrew. Song Lan took the copy of “False Dragon’s Roar” that he had transcribed and walked to the empty window. He stared at the line “The lotus has been gone from the country for a thousand years” and let out a sneer.

“Ah Jie, why don’t you understand?” he said to himself. “What good is all this struggle? After the Assassin-Begonia case, heaven’s will has been with me, not with the path you all are defending.”

The autumn wind was desolate. He turned around and, with a flick of his wrist, set the copy of “False Dragon’s Roar” on fire on a candle. In an instant, the paper and ink were reduced to ashes, disappearing in front of the window.

The autumn of the Jinghe era passed in a somber and melancholy atmosphere. Song Lan perfunctorily rewarded some gold and silver but left Lu Hang’s nephews and disciples unemployed, subtly suggesting that they should not seek official positions again. Everyone vaguely guessed the emperor’s intentions. Although many were dissatisfied, they did not dare to disobey.

Thus, Lu Hang’s funeral was very simple, attended by no more than a dozen relatives and friends. Ye Tingyan went to pay his respects and gave the Buddhist scriptures that he and Luo Wei had copied to Lady Lu. As he was leaving, he happened to meet Xue Wenming, who was coming to pay his respects.

Xue and Lu had been at odds for more than a decade, and everyone began to whisper when they saw him arrive. But Xue Wenming bowed three times with neither servility nor arrogance and left after exchanging a few pleasantries.

Years had passed in a flash. With the passing of a friend, Xue Wenming’s temples had also turned gray. He had once been a powerful minister in the court, later joining the Grand Tutor’s faction and enjoying power for many years. After the Grand Tutor’s fall, he barely escaped from prison but was left with many ailments and rarely left his home since.

Who would have thought that he would come to pay respects to his political enemy in death?

Xue Wenming still remembered the favor Ye Tingyan had shown him by rescuing him from Zhuque’s grasp. He spoke a few words to him with a hint of melancholy. “It feels like it was just yesterday that I was arguing with Minister Lu. The old friends are successively withering away, youth is no more, and looking back on my life, it all feels quite ridiculous.”

Ye Tingyan’s emotions were also complicated. “To let go of grudges with a laugh is a magnanimous act.”

But Xue Wenming shook his head. “Grudges? What grudges? Minister Lu and I had no long-standing enmity. We argued over principles because our paths were different.”

“Our paths were different, but our final destination is the same. Minister Lu was a gentleman, but it’s a pity that the master he served died young, and heaven’s will did not favor him. It’s tragic and sorrowful.”

Ye Tingyan looked at his stooped back and suddenly realized that so many years had passed since he had argued with his father over the matter of Xue and Lu.

The Remonstrance of Jinghe Autumn was thus quietly put to rest. After this incident, the emperor suddenly acted out of character. The court did not execute officials, but he demoted and exiled those who were dissatisfied.

The journey was long and the winter was harsh. Countless people died of illness or froze to death, and the court fell into a terrified silence.

Luo Wei took the court gazette in her hand and gave a bitter laugh. “I knew he would lose his patience sooner or later, but I didn’t expect him to be so hasty.”

Ye Tingyan reached out to warm his hands by the fire and said slowly, “I have instructed people to do their best to take care of the ministers, but there is always a limit to what can be done. That day when I left the Lu family’s residence, I saw Chang Zhao from a distance paying his respects. After thinking about it, it must have been his instigation.”

“Before the New Year, officials from all directions will come to offer congratulations, and envoys from foreign countries will enter the capital. Also, I have been deliberately hiding for so long that the city gates’ security will surely be lax. Xue Chu has been investigating Chang Zhao’s past, and it seems there are some clues. Once she arrives in the capital, we will know more,” Luo Wei said, grasping his hand. “On the day of the grand court meeting, the guards will be minimal, and there will also be the annual ceremony at the Imperial Academy. He is so eager, so we can’t wait any longer.”

Ye Tingyan held her hand back and suddenly asked, “Are you afraid?”

Luo Wei answered honestly, “Before, when I was plotting in the deep palace, I was. But now, I am not.”

She paused for a moment and then asked, “Restoring my identity has thousands of dangers. Are you afraid?”

Ye Tingyan also shook his head. “I may have had doubts before, but not anymore.”

She didn’t ask for the reason; the answer was likely one they both knew.

Ye Tingyan caressed her face and suddenly asked, “When you planned everything back then, why did you never consider ascending the throne and becoming the emperor yourself?”

“I’m just curious, not testing you. Besides... I just suddenly felt that you, as a ruler, are not an impossible choice.” Before Luo Wei could even speak, he lowered his voice and said with great conviction, “Well, is that honest enough?”

Luo Wei grabbed his shoulders and pressed him down onto the soft long rug, laughing. “It’s alright, just ask. Of course, I’ll answer you honestly—it’s just too much trouble.”

“Trouble?”

“Yes,” Luo Wei said seriously. “I needed to find someone to disguise themselves as you because Song Lan used your death to create many lies. As long as ‘you’ are alive, the lies will fall apart on their own, and I won’t have to painstakingly explain the Assassin-Begonia case to the whole world. Similarly, if ‘you’ are alive, you are the best candidate to quell the public’s dissent. If I were to ascend the throne, I would face a lot of slander and criticism. The world is still uneasy about a woman as a ruler. This is something that has accumulated over a hundred years; how can it be changed overnight?”

She played with his hair languidly and laughed. “However, if you ascend the throne and make me your co-ruler, it would be much more convenient for me to take over after you die. So you must take good care of yourself and absolutely not die before me.”

Ye Tingyan reached out to caress her waist and said gently, “In that case, I must make sure to die before you.”

Luo Wei reached out to cover his mouth, but he caught her wrist and kissed it instead. “Everything you learned since you were young, you mastered. Even when you were hidden in the inner palace, you were able to achieve so much. It’s a pity you were confined by the cage of worldly conventions. One day, if the world is clear and calm, we can change this matter.”

The antidote for the poison in her body was still uncertain. Luo Wei knew this was his way of comforting her, but she still got excited and continued the fantasy. “Alright. We’ll set up more schools for girls in the four territories. When I went to Xuzhou back then, I still had to use my brother’s identity... And there will be training grounds separated by gender. I heard your Imperial Brother’s wife is a female general from the border. I really want to meet her. We have so many things to do. We must live to a hundred years old.”

Ye Tingyan looked at her face and blurted out, “I often wonder, if we had killed each other out of suspicion and distrust before we recognized each other, what would our lives be like now?”

Luo Wei didn’t answer. She just shook her head. “Don’t be afraid. We would never have reached that point.”

That night, I held that killing blade, but you had already held my hand ten years ago.

That day, you had the intent to kill as you choked my neck, but in the end, it was only a sorrowful kiss.

“Because of you, there is no other possibility.”

Whether it’s across a thousand mountains and rivers or in hell or on earth, when the begonia flower blooms again, we will definitely meet again in this world.