Chapter 20#
Chapter 20#
The sky was vast and clear, with a gentle breeze lifting the bright red sleeves and dispelling the winter chill, as the summer heat approached.
Amidst the falling firecrackers and flowers, Su Yang walked down the long palace path. Under the watchful eyes of the civil and military officials, he strode toward the sacrificial altar.
The offerings on the altar were all present, yet there were no dragon and phoenix wedding candles, no Empress’s phoenix seal, and certainly no “Empress” dressed in wedding robes who should have been standing by Su Yang’s side.
To the side, an official from the Ministry of Rites held a scroll and began to read the sacrificial oration: “The Heavens are most just, witness our sincerity; grant us a bountiful year, peace for the people, and prosperity for the nation.”
“The Heavens are most great, witness our utmost sincerity; grant us a bountiful year, and eternal peace.”
“We respectfully report to the Imperial Heavens: protect our Sovereign, may the national destiny be long-lasting, and may the myriad people be healthy and safe.”
“Imperial Heavens above, Sovereign Earth below, your servants respectfully offer clear wine and fine delicacies to the Heavens.”
“We humbly pray for the benevolence of the Heavenly Heart: protect our common people, may the winds be favorable and the rain timely, and may the five grains be abundant.”
“We respectfully report to the Imperial Heavens: protect our Sovereign, may the national destiny be long-lasting, and may the myriad people be healthy and safe.”
Clearly meant to be an investiture ceremony for the Empress, it was currently a royal sacrificial rite, praying for favorable weather in the coming year.
When the Ministry of Rites official proclaimed “Bow,” everyone knelt and performed the rites, praying with sincerity.
However, when they raised their heads again, they saw flames soaring into the sky in the northwest.
A commotion broke out among the officials.
“What’s going on? Is there a fire?”
“Where did the fire start? Is that direction the back palace?” someone said, looking toward the direction of the flames, uncertain.
Another said, “How could a fire start in the back palace for no reason? Could it be that the Heavens, seeing His Majesty’s sincerity, have specifically sent an auspicious omen?”
But the fire grew larger and larger, the billowing black smoke and flames almost setting the horizon ablaze.
Only then did everyone become pale with fright: “It’s a fire! This is definitely a fire!”
“This, this… quick, put out the fire! Why is it burning so fiercely?”
“The ceremony has been broken; could this be… an omen of great misfortune?!”
“Pah, pah, pah, shut your mouth!”
The officials’ gazes naturally turned to Su Yang, only to see the bright red figure looking toward the soaring flames, his expression changed.
The usually steady Emperor, whose joy and anger were never shown, immediately abandoned the ceremony and rushed frantically toward the fire.
For the first time, Su Yang felt the palace paths were so long—so long that it felt as if he could never reach Qinchun Palace in this lifetime.
Along the way, countless guesses flashed through his heart. Perhaps the fire was in some corner of the back palace, not Qinchun Palace; or perhaps it was in that direction, close to Qinchun Palace. In short, it definitely wouldn’t be Qinchun Palace.
But he also knew that there was no one else in the vast back palace; only his teacher, Lin Huaiyu, lived in Qinchun Palace.
If there was a fire, how could Lin Huaiyu not run? The other definitely wasn’t in Qinchun Palace by now. Why was he in such a hurry? When he got there, he would be panting, letting Lin Huaiyu see him as a joke, and he would be scolded again for being so undignified as an emperor.
Though Su Yang thought this, his speed only increased. He ignored De Fu’s shouts from behind to get on the palanquin and simply ran all the way to Qinchun Palace.
The scene made Su Yang feel as if a basin of cold water had been poured over his head; his heart tightened suddenly.
On the palace path outside Qinchun Palace, a group of Imperial Physicians and palace servants were all kneeling, no one daring to move. Qinchun Palace was burning with a raging fire, the scalding thick smoke unbearable even for those outside.
Su Yang’s pupils shrank. He seized a palace servant by the collar, lifted him up, and roared, “Where is Lin Huaiyu? Where is he?!”
Seeing Su Yang, the palace servant tremblingly pointed toward the soaring flames of Qinchun Palace: “Master Lin… he didn’t come out.”
In that instant, the surrounding sounds receded, and only one voice remained in Su Yang’s mind.
Lin Huaiyu didn’t come out; he was still in the fire…
Su Yang threw the man aside, kicked someone kneeling nearby, and rushed straight into the fire.
De Fu hurried to catch up and quickly had people block Su Yang, throwing himself forward as well: “Your Majesty, you mustn’t!”
Su Yang recklessly overturned all resistance: “Get away! Whoever dares to block me, I’ll execute nine generations of his family!”
He rushed into the fire like a madman. The overwhelming flames swallowed Su Yang. De Fu could only watch helplessly as Su Yang rushed into Qinchun Palace with total disregard for his life, so anxious he almost burst into tears.
He hurriedly ordered the palace servants: “Quick, quick, quick, put out the fire! What are you all standing here for? Didn’t you see it’s burning? Why did no one report such a large fire?!”
The crowd didn’t dare to respond and hurriedly moved into action.
De Fu was worried about Su Yang. The fire was too fierce, and the heat wave hit him full in the face; De Fu didn’t even dare to get close, yet Su Yang had actually rushed in just like that.
He prayed, “Master Lin, you must be in there…”
After finishing, he felt something was wrong and quickly spat twice, praying again: “Master Lin, you must not be in there…”
But he also felt that at this moment, whether Lin Huaiyu was inside or not, it was all wrong.
Seeing that Su Yang still hadn’t come out, he hardened his heart, took off his outer robe, soaked it with water, and draped it over his head.
“If I die, then I die!” De Fu also rushed into the fire; he couldn’t just watch Su Yang go to his death.
“Your Majesty! Your Majesty!”
“Lin Huaiyu!!!”
The two shouts intertwined, but no other sounds could be heard in the fire, only the crackling of the flames burning the roof beams.
De Fu soon found Su Yang. He watched as Su Yang ignored the fire already ignited on his body, his entire person submerged in a sea of fire, calling out Lin Huaiyu’s name with a frantic expression.
But with such a fire, by the time they saw it, Qinchun Palace was already burnt beyond recognition. They both knew that in such a fire, it was impossible for anyone to still be alive—they would have been burned until not even bones remained.
De Fu draped the wet robe over Su Yang and said, “Your Majesty, Master Lin isn’t here. Let’s go out.”
But Su Yang shook his head, his gaze still lingering in the fire: “No, he won’t die. How could he die so easily?!”
De Fu couldn’t pull Su Yang back. He saw Su Yang trying to go deeper. A burnt-through roof beam crashed down from above, blocking Su Yang’s path. Looking at the fire on Su Yang’s body, De Fu cried, “Your Majesty, if you don’t go out now, you’ll die here! I beg of you, I’ll look for him on your behalf, alright?”
Su Yang was deaf to everything. He waved away the flames with his hands, attempting to see what was inside, but the oncoming fire almost blinded him. He was bathed in fire, like a ghost burned by flames, searching desperately for that obsession. He pushed De Fu away again and again, calling Lin Huaiyu’s name, but he couldn’t find him.
Seeing that Su Yang intended to die in the sea of fire if he couldn’t find the person, a flash of inspiration hit De Fu. He hesitated for a moment and ran toward Su Yang again.
If it’s the crime of deceiving the sovereign, then so be it; Great Yong cannot be without its Emperor.
De Fu ran to Su Yang’s side again and said, “Your Majesty, Master Lin isn’t inside. Master Lin is outside!”
Su Yang turned his head sharply to look at De Fu. He had been in the firelight for too long, and the heat waves had battered his eyes, yet he had kept them open, desperately trying to see clearly. At this moment, looking at De Fu was somewhat blurred: “Are you telling the truth?”
Looking at Su Yang’s wretched state, De Fu nodded heavily: “How would I dare to deceive the sovereign?”
Su Yang smiled, seemingly with a joy of surviving a disaster. To know that Lin Huaiyu wasn’t in the fire made him so happy. He looked at De Fu and said, “If you dare to lie to me, I will never show mercy.”
De Fu quickly draped the outer robe over Su Yang’s head and supported him out: “I wouldn’t dare. Your Majesty, let’s get out quickly.”
Su Yang’s body was so hot he couldn’t be touched; fire was coiling around him. Upon leaving the fire, De Fu immediately took a water basin from a palace servant’s hand and poured it over Su Yang, extinguishing the fire on his body.
“Quick, call the Imperial Physician!” Seeing Su Yang’s tragic state, De Fu lost his head and didn’t remember that Zhou Li was right there.
Not much was left of the bright red robes on Su Yang, having been burned by the fire. His skin was scorched by the flames, with no part unharmed, and couldn’t even be touched. De Fu wanted to get a garment to cover Su Yang, but feared hurting the dragon body.
Zhou Li ran over quite consciously. Looking at Su Yang, he was about to step forward to treat his wounds. Before he could touch Su Yang, Su Yang didn’t even look at him once and asked directly, “Where is Lin Huaiyu?”
The entire place was silent. Except for the palace servants fighting the fire, everyone else was prostrated on the ground, not daring to breathe loudly.
Zhou Li was also intimidated by Su Yang’s appearance. He knelt at the Emperor’s feet. Su Yang, having just come out of the fire, looked wretched, like an evil ghost. The severity in his eyes could not be hidden, and that sense of pressure made it hard to breathe.
De Fu could only brace himself and step forward: “Your Majesty, why not let Director Zhou look at your wounds first.”
Su Yang’s bloodshot eyes stared straight at De Fu: “Where is Lin Huaiyu? You said he was outside. Where is he?!”
De Fu’s gaze flickered, and he said quite guiltily, “Your Majesty…”
Seeing him like this, how could Su Yang not understand the other had lied to him? He turned and was about to rush into the fire again. This time, De Fu hugged his leg tightly: “Your Majesty, you can’t go back in again!!!”
Su Yang’s face was cold, his voice trembling: “De Fu, you have some nerve, actually daring to deceive me!”
De Fu shook his head but didn’t explain, only using his body to hold Su Yang tightly. On the other side, Zhou Li also knelt and hugged Su Yang’s other leg: “Your Majesty! Master Lin is already dead. Even if you save him now, it’s useless!”
Su Yang’s struggling figure froze instantly. He turned his head slowly, like a machine, looking at the kneeling Zhou Li, his voice trembling slightly: “What did you say? Who is dead?”
Zhou Li had no choice but to repeat under the pressure: “Master Lin… he was already beyond medical help long ago.”
A single tear fell from Su Yang’s scarlet eyes, but his expression remained firm as he said, “Impossible! How could Lin Huaiyu die? He was just a bit weak. How could a person so full of calculations and schemes die so easily?! Zhou Li, do you know the consequences of deceiving the sovereign!”
Zhou Li kowtowed deeply and said hurriedly, “I wouldn’t dare to deceive Your Majesty. But Master Lin’s body was not just weak; he was poisoned. When I treated Master Lin, the poison had already entered his internal organs. Even if Master Lin were still alive, he would only have had one year. But Master Lin’s frequent spitting up of blood recently meant the poison had entered his heart’s meridians; no medicine could save him!”
Su Yang listened blankly to Zhou Li’s words, seemingly unable to understand for a moment. He knew every word the other said, but put together, he couldn’t read the meaning.
What did it mean that Lin Huaiyu only had one year to live?
What did frequent spitting of blood and being beyond medical help mean?
Many scenes rushed into his mind at that moment. Su Yang remembered the time he and Lin Huaiyu were bathing; he had smelled the blood in the pool. At that time, he thought it was a tear in that place on Lin Huaiyu’s body; he even wanted to apply medicine for Lin Huaiyu, but was rejected.
Then there was the time he locked Lin Huaiyu in the secret room. Although Lin Huaiyu appeared calm on the surface, his pale face and the uncontrollable trembling in his arms told him of Lin Huaiyu’s terror at being locked in.
What was he thinking at that time?
He was thinking that he knew Lin Huaiyu’s weakness, and he could finally lock Lin Huaiyu by his side, making it impossible for Lin Huaiyu to ever leave.
He had merely thought that one instance of spitting blood was the ill Lin Huaiyu being unable to withstand the torment and being frightened.
He thought… Lin Huaiyu’s health was poor, and coughing or spitting blood was just common; he would be fine with some nourishment.
As the Emperor, what kind of precious medicine could he not give to Lin Huaiyu…
But, but…
Su Yang kicked Zhou Li, his gaze fierce: “You just said he was poisoned. When did it happen?! Why didn’t you report to me?!!”
Even in pain, Zhou Li didn’t dare to show it. He knelt properly and hurriedly explained, “Master Lin forbade me from telling Your Majesty.”
Su Yang was furious, his chest feeling like there was a ball of fire. He wanted to vent, but had nowhere to go. He could only stare fiercely at Zhou Li, every word carrying boundless rage: “He forbade you from telling me, and you followed him in deceiving me? Zhou Li, just who gave you the courage to actually dare to deceive the Son of Heaven?!”
Zhou Li’s heart was startled, and a layer of cold sweat had already formed on his back: “Your Majesty, Master Lin threatened me with the lives of my entire family. I didn’t dare to disobey. Master Lin’s unwillingness to tell Your Majesty about the poisoning… he must have… must have been afraid Your Majesty would worry.”
De Fu had never seen Su Yang so angry. Seeing the situation turn for the worse, he hurriedly persuaded, “Your Majesty, your health is the most important. Don’t let your anger harm your body.”
Su Yang closed his eyes. He didn’t want to hear Zhou Li’s explanations at all at this moment, only asking, “Do you know when he was poisoned?”
Zhou Li had diagnosed about seventy to eighty percent of it the first time he took Lin Huaiyu’s pulse. He couldn’t say it before, but now that Lin Huaiyu was dead, at this point, he spoke the truth: “The day Master Lin entered the palace, I took his pulse and found the poison had already invaded his five viscera and six bowels, making it hard to cure. I’m afraid… it’s already been two years.”
Two years…
Su Yang had just come out of the sea of fire and should have felt scalding, but hearing Zhou Li’s words, he now felt a chill through his entire being.
Two years ago, he had just entered the Eastern Palace with Lin Huaiyu’s assistance, becoming the Crown Prince of Great Yong. It was also that year that Lin Huaiyu planned and calculated for him, removing the other princes step by step, making him the sole heir of Great Yong.
At that time, all eyes were on the Eastern Palace. Those princes, and even the late Emperor, saw Su Yang and Lin Huaiyu as thorns in their side.
Could it be that at that time, Lin Huaiyu was poisoned by someone? And he actually knew nothing.
As soon as Su Yang thought of this possibility, his breathing became rapid. At that time, his heart was set only on sitting in that position at the peak of power; then no one could humiliate him or Lin Huaiyu, and he would have the ability to protect Lin Huaiyu.
But it turned out… he had already let Lin Huaiyu fall into a desperate situation long ago.
“Did he know?” Su Yang swayed his body and asked.
Zhou Li nodded and, under Su Yang’s ashen gaze, said, “Master Lin seemed to have known long ago.”
Known long ago… yet kept it from him all along, not telling him.
Su Yang’s entire person began to tremble. He didn’t know if he was afraid or what; a piece of his heart seemed to have been hollowed out. He glared fiercely at Zhou Li: “I am the Son of Heaven, yet you deceived me for Lin Huaiyu. Zhou Li, you have some nerve; I’m going to kill you!”
Su Yang pulled out the sword from a nearby guard’s waist and was about to strike Zhou Li, but saw a flash of golden light, shining brightly under the sunlight.
Su Yang stopped his movements instantly, staring blankly at the death-exemption gold token held high in Zhou Li’s hands.
Zhou Li’s face was covered in sweat but he didn’t dare to wipe it. He held the gold token above his head and, at the boundary between life and death, said loudly, “Your Majesty, before his death, Master Lin gave this death-exemption gold token to me. He said Your Majesty would surely understand his meaning upon seeing this token.”
Su Yang’s pupils shrank. He immediately dropped the sword in his hand and tightly gripped the death-exemption gold token from Zhou Li’s hand.
He naturally knew this; he had personally bestowed it upon Lin Huaiyu. On the day he ascended the throne, although he could never kill Lin Huaiyu, this gold token was both a guarantee and an honor.
But now… it had become a steel blade with which Lin Huaiyu punished him.
He couldn’t even blame others, couldn’t kill them.
“He’s not dead. He’s deceiving me.” Su Yang looked at the gold token in his hand, as if staring tightly at Lin Huaiyu. “You, you are also deceiving me.”
Zhou Li didn’t dare to speak again, for fear of adding fuel to the fire. The death-exemption gold token could save him once, but couldn’t save him next time.
Seeing this, De Fu was also startled and hurried forward, wailing, “Your Majesty, please restrain your grief.”
Only then did the crowd kneel together: “Your Majesty, please restrain your grief.”
Hearing this, Su Yang was even more furious. He roared, “Lin Huaiyu isn’t dead! Didn’t he always want to escape? He must have planned his way out of the palace. How could he possibly die?!”
Seeing Su Yang’s body full of untreated wounds and unable to believe the news of Lin Huaiyu’s passing, De Fu sighed, “Your Majesty, Master Lin’s health was poor. How could he have escaped such a large fire? Director Zhou’s diagnosis wouldn’t be wrong. Your Majesty, you… should quickly have your wounds treated.”
But Su Yang seemed as if he couldn’t hear anything, only repeating, “Impossible, impossible… Lin Huaiyu won’t die. He’s deceiving me…”
Seeing Su Yang wasn’t right, De Fu pulled at Su Yang’s hem and said frantically, “Your Majesty, you… what’s wrong with you!”
Su Yang was unmoved, only looking at the gold token in his hand and shaking his head: “He just wants to leave me. I know it all. He’s not dead; he just doesn’t want to see me.”
Fearing Su Yang wouldn’t be able to come out of it, Zhou Li hurriedly said, “Your Majesty, before we were driven out of Qinchun Palace by Master Lin, Master Lin spit up a lot of blood on the bed. Even without this fire, Master Lin would have surely died!”
Everyone was trying to make Su Yang face the truth. Su Yang looked at the people kneeling all around and felt the world spinning.
He didn’t want to hear anything; it was all lies!
Su Yang scanned everyone and said to De Fu, “Issue my decree: search the entire city for Lin Huaiyu. If you see Teacher… don’t hurt him. Tie him up and bring him back to me!”