The appearance of one person shattered every trace of calm and turned the life Nalan Xuan had thought so real into a ridiculous deception. The carefully performed façade cracked open, exposing the hypocrisy beneath it yet again.
As usual, Feng Xuanyi came straight to Moon-Embracing Palace after morning court. Perhaps he wanted to prevent Nalan Xuan from becoming suspicious, or perhaps he wished to create the impression that he favored Nalan Xuan so deeply that he did not care if he overheard affairs of state. Whatever the reason, Feng Xuanyi never seemed concerned about discussing official matters in Nalan Xuan’s presence. Fortunately, Nalan Xuan understood the need to avoid suspicion. Whenever Feng Xuanyi returned, Nalan Xuan would not go anywhere near the main hall for roughly the next four hours. Even if he personally brought in tea or water, he entered only briefly and left at once, never lingering. The senior officials who had initially objected gradually saw that Nalan Xuan truly had no intention of overstepping his place and eventually chose to turn a blind eye.
Today seemed no different from any other. Feng Xuanyi came directly to Moon-Embracing Palace after court, but the person who came to see him was unlike the usual visitors, and everything that happened today was simply too coincidental.
“We told you not to come looking for Us so brazenly in broad daylight.” Feng Xuanyi stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his tone faintly displeased, though he did not actually punish the man.
The visitor wore no court robes. Instead, he was dressed in dark, close-fitting martial attire, simple and practical. With his eyes lowered, he knelt on one knee.
“Did anyone see you come in?” Feng Xuanyi asked in a low voice.
“This servant was careful the entire way here. There should have been no one who noticed,” the black-clad man replied.
“Speak. What matter was important enough for you to come to Us so recklessly today?”
“The investigation Your Majesty ordered this servant to conduct has produced results. The Eldest Prince has indeed remained in close contact with Minister of War Xiao He. Although Your Majesty issued a decree granting the Eldest Prince a fief and a lifetime of wealth and honor, and although he ostensibly obeyed the order to depart, it was merely for appearances. According to what this servant has learned, the Eldest Prince is still in the imperial capital and has been hiding in Minister Xiao’s residence all this time.”
“Ha. Just as We expected. We gave you a chance, yet you chose to waste one of the rare moments when We showed mercy.” Feng Xuanyi smiled without warmth, his eyes edged with icy sharpness as though he could see Feng Xuanzhe through layer after layer of palace walls, still somewhere within the same city. A murderous solemnity settled over him as he murmured, almost as though discussing the matter with the kneeling man and almost as though merely speaking to himself. “Why do you think he refuses to leave? Does he still dream of making a comeback? Does he imagine he can sit upon the throne after all? Or has he arranged something in secret that We have overlooked…?”
“Tell An Yin to stop wasting his days making noise with those people in the palace as though he has nothing better to do. For the next few days, have him watch the Empress Dowager closely. What she does each day, whom she meets, every movement she makes—nothing is to be missed.” A sharp gleam flashed through Feng Xuanyi’s eyes, the confidence of a sovereign certain that everything remained within his grasp.
“This servant obeys.”
“From now on, use secret correspondence if something happens. If the matter is genuinely urgent and must be discussed in person, do not come personally. Tell An Yin and have him pass the message. We can still meet in his palace. If there is nothing else, leave.”
“Yes.”
The man who secretly handled Feng Xuanyi’s affairs, quietly and efficiently disposing of matters that could never be placed openly upon the table yet were necessary for eliminating political enemies, was none other than Xuan Guang. During the campaign to pacify the northwest, he had served as the personal guard of the General Who Pacifies the West; after their victorious return, he had worked as a steward in the Valiant and Martial Viscount’s residence. Nalan Xuan had once personally recommended him, innocently believing him to be nothing more than an ordinary civilian displaced by war. He had never known when Xuan Guang had entered Feng Xuanyi’s service.
Outside the hall, the plate of pastries in Nalan Xuan’s hands had never felt so heavy, as though its weight could crush his entire body. Like a completely unrelated observer, he calmly watched the exchange between Feng Xuanyi and Xuan Guang, and just as calmly listened to decisions permeated with murderous intent.
Having received his orders, Xuan Guang left the hall. The instant he turned after stepping through the doorway, he found himself facing an expressionless, ice-cold Nalan Xuan. Xuan Guang had never shown the slightest nervousness even when standing before the reigning emperor, yet at the sight of Nalan Xuan his legs genuinely went weak. He stumbled and nearly dropped to his knees.
“I-Imperial Noble Lord!” The coffin-like face that had remained unchanged even before the emperor shattered completely the moment Xuan Guang saw Nalan Xuan. His expression transformed as though the heavens had collapsed before him. Etiquette, protocol, greetings, formal salutations—all of it vanished from his mind after one instant of blank shock, leaving him staring speechlessly where he stood.
Xuan Guang’s reaction made Nalan Xuan’s heart colder still. If the man had simply pretended not to recognize him and greeted him like any ordinary court official, then no matter how suspicious Nalan Xuan might have been, he could still have deceived himself into believing he had mistaken him for someone else. The world was enormous; surely two people could share the same face, perhaps even the same name. But after that reaction, even the last possibility of deceiving himself suddenly seemed absurdly distant.
“It has been a long time, my lord. Now that you work for His Majesty, should I congratulate you on a promotion—or on being restored to your original post?” Nalan Xuan asked with a cold laugh, his voice icy enough to cut.
Only then did Xuan Guang recover his senses. He hurriedly saluted, desperately attempting to sever the connection between them. “This minister greets Imperial Noble Lord. May Imperial Noble Lord enjoy boundless peace and good fortune. This minister… this minister has never met Imperial Noble Lord before. Perhaps Imperial Noble Lord has mistaken me for someone else.”
“Isn’t it a little late to distance yourself from me now, Xuan Guang? Or perhaps you have some other name in His Majesty’s presence. You might as well tell me directly so I do not accidentally address my lord improperly.” Nalan Xuan took two steps closer and crouched so that his eyes were level with Xuan Guang, who remained kneeling in salute. For a moment, it was almost as though they had returned to those days beyond the frontier, enduring snowstorms together while officers and soldiers lived without distinction between them.
Xuan Guang remained silent, neither admitting nor denying anything. Perhaps he simply understood that whatever he said now, Nalan Xuan would no longer believe him.
“Let me think. When exactly did you begin working for His Majesty?” Nalan Xuan tilted his head as though genuinely considering the question, but the coldness in his eyes never diminished. “Was it after we returned from the frontier, when I fell into misfortune and you happened to gain His Majesty’s recognition? Or—from the very beginning, were you already His Majesty’s man? Even at the frontier, were you sent by His Majesty to watch me?”
Clearly, Nalan Xuan himself did not believe the first possibility. What he truly believed was the second: the subordinate he had treated with complete sincerity had been nothing more than a piece planted beside him by someone else to keep him under surveillance.
Realizing Nalan Xuan had misunderstood, Xuan Guang hurriedly explained, “Imperial Noble Lord has misunderstood His Majesty. His Majesty did not send this servant to monitor you. This servant was there so that, in the depths of the desert amid a war between two armies, Imperial Noble Lord’s safety could be protected.”
“Protect me?!” The explanation accomplished nothing. If anything, it seemed to confirm the accusation of surveillance. “Ha! Then His Majesty truly went to great trouble on my behalf! And my lord was terribly overqualified to remain at my side, faithfully carrying out such devoted ‘protection’!”
“Enough. I understand.” Nalan Xuan stood and casually smoothed a fold from his magnificent robes, deliberately appearing unconcerned. “What else have you done for His Majesty that involved me? You might as well tell me everything at once. I can listen to it for amusement.”
“Imperial Noble Lord, forgive this minister, but I cannot disclose matters of the court. As a member of the imperial harem, Imperial Noble Lord should avoid suspicion and must not interfere in government.” Every word came out firm and uncompromising.
The cold gleam in Nalan Xuan’s eyes intensified. He understood the situation perfectly: even now, at the very end, Xuan Guang was still doing everything he could to shield Feng Xuanyi. What extraordinary loyalty.
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