“Whenever Brother suffered palpitations and fainting spells, the immortal medicine the Perfected Master gave you was called ‘Cold-Food Powder.’ It contains cinnabar and realgar. After taking it, the body grows hot and excited, temporarily relieving the palpitations. But ultimately, it is nothing more than a slow-acting poison. It only makes the next fainting spell worse, while the body deteriorates with every passing day. In fact, an imperial physician once noticed that Brother’s pulse had been damaged, but Brother accused him of incompetence and jealousy toward the Perfected Master, dismissed him from office, and expelled him from the palace. Several months ago, your little brother sent someone to locate that imperial physician and asked him to examine some of the immortal medicine I had stolen. He replied that it was indeed Cold-Food Powder.”
The emperor’s eyes widened in shock.
Qiao Shen tilted his head toward the incense burning in the censer and continued, “The immortal incense the Perfected Master prepared for Brother also causes hallucinations and agitation. Whenever Brother inhaled it, your body grew warm and your spirits revived, but that too was merely a temporary illusion.”
The emperor’s lips began to tremble. Shock and fury left him unable to speak.
Qiao Shen continued, “There is something else Brother does not know. There is no ‘Fire Vein’ in your little brother’s body. I was actually born one month earlier than the date recorded in the imperial clan genealogy, which means I belong to wood. When I was born, however, a diviner read my fortune and claimed that a calamity awaited me. He said my birth date had to be falsely reported to deceive the Mandate of Heaven if I was to survive it. Later, your little brother often thought that the diviner had merely wanted to swindle five strings of cash from my grandfather and fabricated the story at random.”
The emperor’s hand began trembling as well. He tried to withdraw it, but Qiao Shen caught it in return and held it tightly.
“Yet only after your little brother came to the capital did I understand that this was not my calamity, but my path. Perfected Master Shen Xiao counterfeited immortal arts and committed the crime of deceiving his sovereign, so he naturally deserved death. But Brother possesses virtue unworthy of the throne and has betrayed the realm and its people. Have you not committed the crime of deceiving the nation? As the ‘Duke Protector of the State,’ your little brother bears the duty of protecting the country. Since I had to send the Perfected Master on his way, I must also send Brother on yours…”
The emperor trembled. “Qiao Shen, do you—do you know what you are saying?”
Qiao Shen smiled faintly and continued, “Before coming to the capital, your little brother hid for several months in a small city called Ant County. In the forests there lives a venomous snake called the ‘Gut-Rending Green.’ Its poison is colorless and odorless. If consumed in small quantities over a long period, it causes the intestines and stomach to rot through, yet a coroner cannot detect the poison. Ever since your little brother came to the capital, I have consumed this venom every day, while Brother has frequently drunk my blood. Recently, besides palpitations and fainting, have you also felt weak and exhausted, with unbearable pain in your abdomen…”
Qiao Shen suddenly lowered his head and coughed violently several times. Then he raised his face with a smile and showed the emperor the pool of blood he had coughed into his palm. “Look, Brother. This is what it means to have one’s guts rent apart.”
The emperor was frightened out of his wits and finally could not stop himself from calling, “Someone… someone… protect me…”
His throat had inexplicably become dry and painfully cracked. After only a few hoarse cries, he could no longer produce any sound. He clawed at the bedding, trying to leave some trace or make some noise, but Qiao Shen gently cupped his hand and pried his fingers open one by one.
No one knew what Qiao Shen had added to the censer earlier. Smoke filled the quiet chamber, choking their throats.
Even Qiao Shen began coughing softly. He forced himself to continue in a hoarse voice, sounding like a ghostly apparition. “Cough, cough… Since entering the palace, your little brother has often recalled an old story from within these walls… It is said that a hundred years ago, Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong shared a profound brotherly affection, much like Brother and your little brother today. By coincidence, your little brother is descended from Taizu, while Brother is descended from Taizong… It is said that one night, Taizu and Taizong drank together. The palace attendants heard the sound of an axe striking the floor and saw shadows swaying against the candlelight… Not long afterward, Taizu passed away.”
The emperor’s eyes flew wide open as he glared fixedly at Qiao Shen. But the smoke obscured Qiao Shen’s head and face, concealing even his gentle, obedient features.
The figure within the smoke suddenly held an axe of unknown origin and raised it high above the emperor.
A silent scream surged from the emperor’s chest. His eyes nearly split apart as he clutched his heart and collapsed to the floor with a heavy thud.
–
Superintendent Li, several junior eunuchs and palace maids, Tao Shi, and a number of Imperial City Directorate guards were all waiting in the courtyard and heard the muffled impact. They turned toward the chamber and saw the candle shadows swaying within.
Before anyone understood what had happened, Prince Fu abruptly pulled open the door and staggered outside, his face filled with panic and his eyes brimming with tears.
“Someone come! His Majesty’s palpitations have struck again! Quickly summon the State Preceptor!”
Superintendent Li caught the unsteady Prince Fu and reminded him in a trembling voice, “Has Your Highness forgotten? The State Preceptor has already sacrificed himself for the country!”
Hot tears spilled from Prince Fu’s eyes. He cried anxiously, “Yes! Yes! I actually forgot! But what are we to do? Summon the imperial physicians! Quickly summon the imperial physicians!”
–
The palace descended into chaos in the middle of the night. Superintendent Li directed several palace maids and junior eunuchs to fetch an imperial physician immediately, then sent someone to notify the empress.
Tao Shi ordered the remaining Imperial City Directorate guards to secure the courtyard and prevent the slightest rumor from leaking. He entered the room himself to “care for” the dying emperor and the distraught Prince Fu.
Prince Fu wept bitterly and began performing a ritual to save the emperor. The guards in the courtyard could all hear the murmured chanting coming from inside the room.
Within the quiet chamber, while Qiao Shen’s chanting held everyone’s attention, Tao Shi hurried across the room with his body bent low. He first slipped to the window and quietly opened it a crack to disperse the smoke. Then he removed the ashes from the censer, wrapped them in a cloth, and hid them inside his robe before replacing them with old incense ash prepared in advance.
Qiao Shen drew a flattened stack of paper from his sleeve—a crudely made paper axe whose shadow alone resembled the real thing. Tao Shi took it, folded and compressed it even more tightly, then stuffed it beneath his undergarment. Once covered by his armor, there was no sign of anything unusual.
Tao Shi took out another handkerchief and wiped every trace of blood from Qiao Shen’s palm, hiding that within his armor as well.
While Tao Shi busied himself throughout the room, Qiao Shen knelt beside the daybed and continued reciting scriptures. He lowered his head and calmly looked into the emperor’s still-furious, wide-open eyes, then reached out to feel for breath beneath his icy nose—confirming that he was thoroughly dead.
It was true that Perfected Master Shen Xiao had fed the emperor Cold-Food Powder and burned hallucinogenic incense. But what Qiao Shen had consumed every day was not any damned “Gut-Rending Green.” He had never seen so much as the shadow of a snake in Ant County’s mountains. The entire story was fabricated. What he had asked Administrator Li to smuggle into the palace and consumed each day was bitter coptis. Taking too much coptis damaged the stomach. Over time, his stomach had become injured, causing him to cough blood. Since the emperor frequently drank his fresh blood, he too had developed a few mild symptoms.
The incense burned earlier had merely been Perfected Master Shen Xiao’s hallucinogenic incense made several times stronger, combined with several medicinal ingredients that damaged the throat.
In other words, after suffering the cumulative harm of Cold-Food Powder and hallucinogenic incense, the emperor had been frightened to death by the fabricated tale of the “Gut-Rending Green” and the legend of the axe’s sound and candle’s shadow.
He had truly lived up to his reputation for cowardice.
Qiao Shen regarded the emperor’s unclosed eyes with contempt. He raised a hand and brushed them gently shut.
–
Before long, an elderly imperial physician on duty arrived in haste, followed by the empress.
The emperor lay upon the daybed with his eyes closed, his face ashen. His still chest showed no sign of rising or falling. The imperial physician felt his pulse, paled in horror, then turned and dropped to his knees, repeatedly striking his forehead against the floor.
“His Majesty’s heart meridian has suffered grievous damage. His pulse is empty and imperceptible. His oil is exhausted, and his lamp has gone out…”
At those words, the empress’s body went limp and toppled sideways. The palace maid beside her hurriedly caught her. Qiao Shen, who had been kneeling by the daybed and reciting scriptures, also rose to support her, weeping, “Sister-in-law, you must hold on…”
The empress cried, “What happened to His Majesty? How could this happen?”
Qiao Shen wept as well. “His Majesty was already burdened by affairs of state. When he learned that the Immortal Master had sacrificed himself for the country, his grief overwhelmed him, and he suddenly collapsed…”
The empress clutched Qiao Shen’s sleeve. “Royal Uncle, quickly save His Majesty! Did you and the Immortal Master not always save him together before?”
Elio’s Notes: The Empress addresses Qiao Shen as “Royal Uncle” from the Crown Prince’s perspective. As the emperor’s acknowledged younger brother, Qiao Shen is the prince’s paternal uncle.
Qiao Shen prostrated himself and repeatedly kowtowed, sobbing, “The Immortal Master always led your little brother in chanting scriptures, and Brother would improve before long. But just now, your little brother chanted for a long time without Brother showing the slightest response. The Immortal Master is gone, and your little brother’s power alone must be insufficient…”
The sister-in-law and younger brother wept together inside the room, inconsolable with grief. Fortunately, Superintendent Li remained experienced and composed. With tears in his eyes, he stepped forward and reminded her, “Your Majesty, should the chief councillors be informed of this?”
The empress was even younger than the emperor, only in her early twenties, and had been empress for merely several months. She looked panicked and helpless. Qiao Shen’s expression, however, tightened as he cried, “Sister-in-law, you absolutely must not!”
He hurriedly wiped the tears from his face, then glanced at the imperial physician prostrated on the floor, not daring to raise his head. Lowering his voice, he said, “This concerns the survival of the state. Please dismiss everyone, Sister-in-law. No one may leave this courtyard. Your little brother has something vital to tell you.”
–
The empress also understood the gravity of the matter and, though still doubtful, followed Qiao Shen’s advice.
Superintendent Li, the imperial physician, and the palace maids all withdrew. The empress glanced outside, then lowered her head. “Royal Uncle, speak.”
Qiao Shen knelt before the empress and looked up at her obediently, saying urgently, “Has Sister-in-law considered that the Xiao army is at the walls and the people are in panic? If Brother passes away at such a time, while my nephew is only nine years old, will the chief councillors sincerely support the new sovereign? How will the new sovereign settle the disputes at court? Moreover, reinforcements from across the country will arrive within several days. Might those outside generals commanding large armies harbor treacherous ambitions to seize the throne, or open the gates and surrender, presenting the new sovereign to the Xiao bandits?”
The empress trembled. “Then what are we to do?”
Qiao Shen shuffled forward on his knees and lowered his voice further. “The Emperor Emeritus is still in the south, while Prince Kang remains stranded in Cizhou. If ambitious men support either of them in returning to the capital, can the Crown Prince still ascend the throne successfully? Even if the Emperor Emeritus has no wish to return to court, would the officials not support the older Prince Kang instead?”
The empress became even more alarmed. She no longer had time to shed tears and hurriedly asked, “What does Royal Uncle propose?”
Qiao Shen bowed to the floor once more, then raised his tearful face. “Shen is frail and sickly and was never destined for a long life. Brother and Sister-in-law treated me with genuine affection, and my only wish is for my Crown Prince nephew’s reign to endure for ten thousand generations. Shen begs Sister-in-law to consider carefully for your son. Win over Superintendent Li and firmly control the Imperial City Directorate guards. Keep Brother’s death secret and announce only that he is recuperating within the palace. Once the Xiao bandits have been repelled and affairs of state have stabilized, Sister-in-law must also win over loyal ministers trusted by the common people and scholars, such as Li Gang and Zuo Shidao. Ask them to command the armies, protect the heir to the state, and support the Crown Prince’s accession…”
He paused, a dark gleam passing through his eyes, and whispered, “Before the Crown Prince ascends the throne, Sister-in-law must also take advantage of the chaos of war and send someone to eliminate the threat posed by Prince Kang completely…”
The empress’s expression shifted from panic to shock, then from shock to sudden understanding. She had always been virtuous, gentle, and kind, but as a mother, she would stop at nothing to protect her young son. Her gaze darkened as she considered the matter for a moment. Then she nodded and reached out to help Qiao Shen rise.
“Royal Uncle, your body is weak. Please rise. Though you are young and frail, you possess great wisdom. Sister-in-law will do as you say. The lives of my son and me are entrusted to you.”
Qiao Shen bowed again and said through his tears, “Shen is fortunate to receive your kindness. I would die ten thousand deaths without hesitation!”
–
After that night, the emperor was said to be unwell and remained inside the quiet chamber recuperating, no longer appearing before anyone. Imperial City Directorate soldiers sealed the palace and locked down the courtyard, allowing no one except the empress and Crown Prince to approach the chamber. Any court official who voiced suspicions or objections was seized on the spot by the palace guards and placed under house arrest within the palace.
Early the following morning, “the emperor” issued an edict releasing Li Gang from confinement and reappointing him as Defender of the Capital’s Four Walls. The gravely ill Venerable Pacification Commissioner Zuo was invigorated upon hearing the news. The elderly general dragged his sick body from bed, insisted on donning armor and helmet, and personally climbed the city wall to beat the war drum and encourage the defenders.
Li Gang once again arranged the capital’s defenses properly, just as he had the previous year, assigning capable generals to the eastern, southern, western, and northern walls.
The general defending the western city was Deputy Commander Zheng Jiu of the Immortal Fire Army. “General Zheng” appeared generous, imposing, and rather skilled in warfare, but whenever he faced the enemy, he always humbly followed the advice of an adviser beside him.
Strangely enough, although this unnamed man was supposedly an adviser, he stood considerably taller and broader than General Zheng and radiated the ferocity of a tiger. Once, General Zheng stood too close to the fighting while supervising the defense and nearly had his head chopped off by a Xiao soldier who had scaled the wall. The adviser drew General Zheng’s saber with one hand and cleaved downward once, splitting the enemy soldier from the crown of his head and knocking him from the wall.
Beside Pacification Commissioner Li, who personally held the northern wall—the principal battlefield—there was also an unknown master archer. He was said to be a valiant Imperial City Directorate warrior temporarily transferred to help defend the city. His bow cracked like thunder, and his arrows reached three hundred meters, making him resemble a human heavy crossbow. The Xiao generals attacking the northern gate were frequently shot until their helmets bristled with arrows. Although their thick helmets prevented serious injury, the humiliation was immense, greatly boosting Xuan morale.
–
After the capital held out for ten days, reinforcements from across the country arrived one after another. As in the previous year, nearly two hundred thousand soldiers assembled outside the capital.
“The emperor” issued another edict appointing the somewhat-recovered Venerable Pacification Commissioner Zuo as Defender of the Capital Outskirts, placing all reinforcements beyond the city under his unified command.
Seeing that the situation had turned unfavorable, the Xiao Second Prince requested a ceasefire and peace negotiations. But Xuan’s defenses were sound and morale had risen sharply. “The emperor” had also abandoned his former cowardice and indecision, astonishingly refusing negotiations. Not only would he no longer cede the “three strongholds,” but he sent a diplomatic letter demanding to know when Xiao intended to return the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun it had previously seized.
Hearing such audacity, the Xiao Second Prince began gathering his forces, intending to fight a decisive battle against the Xuan reinforcements outside the city.
But the decisive battle collapsed before it could begin. Just as Li Gang had once explained to Li Si, the Xiao Second Prince had advanced deep into enemy territory with an isolated army and could not remain there for long. Commander Zong Duo’s forces in Hebei harassed the Second Prince’s rear and severed the Xiao army’s supply route.
After careful consideration, the Second Prince no longer dared act out of wounded pride. He ultimately announced a withdrawal north and returned bitterly in defeat.
–
The Xiao army withdrew from the capital for the second time. The capital’s people rushed to spread the news and flooded onto the walls, cheering and leaping with joy.
Lanterns and decorations appeared throughout the streets and alleys, while smiles covered every face.
–
That very night, grievous news emerged from the palace. The young emperor, who had forced his sick body to endure for days while steadfastly guarding the nation’s gates, had passed away. Like the State Preceptor who had earlier offered himself as a sacrifice to Heaven, he had selflessly and without regret surrendered his own life to prolong Great Xuan’s national fortune.
Alas! What a tragedy! Heaven and Earth themselves were moved!
Throughout the streets and alleys, the red lanterns hung the previous day were replaced with white mourning drapes. Everyone washed their faces in tears.
–
It was said that when the Emperor Emeritus, then on his southern tour, heard the news, he was overcome with grief. His health deteriorated rapidly, and he likewise developed palpitations and fainting spells. He did not endure for long before dying of illness.
Although certain unofficial histories claimed that the old gentleman had actually been enjoying himself with women in Jiangnan and died after contracting a venereal disease. But what weight could the fabrications of unofficial histories possibly carry? They were not worth mentioning.
–
While the Xiao Second Prince led his army back through Hebei, he remained resentful and attacked Cizhou, which Commander Zong Duo defended, intending to offer Zong’s severed head as a sacrifice to Heaven. Unfortunately, Cizhou held as firmly as Kuiyuan. After several days without progress, the Xiao army exhausted its provisions and was forced to abandon the battle.
The Xiao army’s only gain came while its soldiers cursed and demonstrated beneath the walls. Prince Kang happened to be observing the battle from the city tower beside Commander Zong Duo. For some unknown reason, Prince Kang suddenly cried out in pain, clutched his chest, and collapsed. A coroner later determined that excessive terror had ruptured his heart and lungs, killing him.
Although certain unofficial histories claimed that Prince Kang had been ambushed by an assassin sent by his sister-in-law and died when a hidden arrow pierced his heart. But once again, what weight could the fabrications of unofficial histories possibly carry? Still not worth mentioning.
–
Returning to the capital: amid the aftermath of war and national mourning, the young Crown Prince hastily ascended the throne and became the new emperor. The young Empress Dowager governed from behind a curtain and assisted with affairs of state.
The new Empress Dowager initially intended to appoint Prince Fu as regent. Prince Fu declined, claiming he was merely a distant member of the imperial clan and should not shoulder such a grave responsibility. Moreover, he was young, frail, and without learning, so he should not interfere in government. He wished only for a quiet residence where he could pray daily for the country and imperial family. Moved by Prince Fu’s humility, the Empress Dowager’s doubts and reservations about him vanished entirely. She therefore appointed him the new State Preceptor and ordered a Daoist temple constructed outside the capital where he could cultivate himself in peace.
The Empress Dowager appointed Li Gang Chancellor and Grand Tutor, making him the foremost of the chief councillors. She appointed Venerable Pacification Commissioner Zuo as the new Defender of Hebei and Hedong, placing the warfare of both regions under his unified command. At Li Gang’s suggestion, the Empress Dowager used the chaos of war as an opportunity to reform the military system and abolish the functions of the Bureau of Military Affairs. Although generals commanding troops were still required to obey the court’s deployments, their strategies for attack and defense were no longer subject to layer after layer of direction from the court, granting them greater discretion in the field.
–
By this point in the tale, more than a month had passed since Li Si followed Li Gang south to the capital.
As at the same time the previous year, bitter winds swept Kuiyuan City, and ice formed upon the Wen River. The city had endured beneath the northern wind for nearly an entire year and had now completely exhausted both soldiers and provisions.
Kuiyuan was divided into an inner and outer city. Several months earlier, Prefect Zhang had already moved the civilians back into the inner city, leaving only the defenders stationed in the outer city.
By now, most buildings in the outer city had been completely dismantled. Roof tiles and bricks had become catapult ammunition, while wooden beams and bamboo supports had become firewood. Fewer than half of the three thousand Shengjie soldiers and one thousand local militiamen remained, and most of those survivors were wounded or maimed. Within the inner city, every plant had withered, and even the bark and roots had been eaten clean. Frozen bones already lay beside the roads, while gaunt corpses rested inside the houses.
–
The sun was about to set, leaving a shattered patch of ghastly crimson light among the broken tiles of the city tower.
Wang Xu wore no helmet. His hair whipped loose in the wind as he leaned upon a horse-cleaving saber, using its hilt to support his exhausted body. Like a great tree leaning beneath the sunset, he stood sorrowfully upon the wall.
Ever since learning that Pacification Commissioner Li had led his army back to the capital, Wang Xu had kept watch from the walls every day. Not only had he failed to see any Xuan reinforcements, but today he saw a column of Xiao troops in raven-black armor emerging from the eastern valley, winding through the Taihang Mountains like an enormous black python.
They were Xiao reinforcements. Mo Han had evidently failed to capture Kuiyuan after a prolonged siege, so they had come to lend him their strength. Perhaps within only a few days, they would launch a general assault upon Kuiyuan.
But Kuiyuan, starved of both food and soldiers, could no longer withstand another heavy blow.
Wang Xu slowly released a breath. His hollow eye sockets were webbed with blood, and sorrow filled his gaunt face.
Hurried footsteps sounded behind him. A personal guard with his helmet askew stumbled over and called hoarsely, “General, there is still no reply. The carrier pigeons must have been intercepted by the Xiao army again. They failed to get through.”
Wang Xu sighed. “What of the messenger?”
The guard said through tears, “In recent days, the Xiao army has surrounded all of Kuiyuan with wooden barricades. After the messenger descended the wall, he had not even slipped a hundred meters away before they drove him back with a hail of arrows.”
Wang Xu sighed and turned around. With his own hands, he straightened the guard’s helmet, then gave him a reassuring pat on the back. “Do not cry. Only our messages have been cut off, not our lives. Wipe your face clean and bring me my horse.”
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