Though Nalan Xuan had not seen Feng Xuanyi these past few days, he knew virtually everything about Feng Xuanyi’s frantic schedule, his growing agitation, and every development at court. With a carrier pigeon arriving once every day, Nalan Xuan sometimes received news even before Feng Xuanyi did.
“Master, something terrible happened!” His voice arrived before he did. Xiao Jiu, whom Nalan Xuan had sent to gather information, came running in with the expression of someone whose sky had collapsed. Unfortunately, because he was not watching where he was going, his foot caught on the threshold. His entire body stiffened before he went down with a heavy thud, landing flat on his face before the palace doors.
Seeing this, He Xiang could not suppress a snort of laughter. “Xiao Jiu’s loyalty to Master truly leaves the rest of us ashamed. Look at that. He came from so far away just to perform a full prostration before Master.”
Even Nalan Xuan, whose expression had revealed neither joy nor anger for several days, showed a faint trace of reaction and relaxation.
On any ordinary day, Xiao Jiu would have started quarreling with He Xiang before he had even climbed back to his feet. Today, however, he seemed not to have heard her at all. He scrambled upright in a panic, not even bothering to straighten his clothes. Forgetting all concern about losing decorum before his master, he practically crawled the rest of the way and dropped to his knees beside Nalan Xuan, still looking badly shaken. “Master, something terrible happened. There’s chaos in the court!”
Nalan Xuan’s hand paused halfway through bringing a pastry to his mouth. Though he had lost the desire to taste it, after a brief pause he still placed it into his mouth and slowly chewed, revealing nothing on his face. “What happened?”
Xiao Jiu swallowed and tried to steady himself as he organized the jumble of information he had just heard. His explanation was somewhat incoherent and jumped from one point to another, but fortunately it was still comprehensible. “Someone has rebelled. No one knows where they gathered all those people from. They’ve been fighting their way from outside the capital toward the city, shouting that they’re going to restore the rightful succession.”
Nalan Xuan remained unconcerned. “They’re still outside the city, aren’t they? The Imperial Guards are not there merely for decoration. If they want to enter the capital, they should at least have to shed a layer of skin first.”
“But the rebels are acting in the name of Prince Yi, the late emperor’s eldest son! Prince Yi was one of the strongest contenders for the throne back then. Although His Majesty eventually ascended, Prince Yi’s former influence never completely disappeared. The moment he raised his banner today, half the officials actually refused to attend morning court. They all declared support for Prince Yi and demanded that the throne be restored to its rightful line.”
It was not that Prince Yi’s former influence remained powerful. It was that the Empress Dowager had been far more unfathomable than anyone realized. Given Feng Xuanyi’s personality, he had probably cleansed the court of opponents the moment he ascended the throne. Even Nalan Xuan’s father, who had always tried to protect himself by avoiding factional struggles, had not escaped disaster. How could the former Eldest Prince faction possibly have survived intact?
Xiao Jiu’s eyes darted rapidly as he remembered something else. “And although war hasn’t officially been declared, this servant saw someone galloping toward the Imperial Study at full speed early this morning. This servant saw it clearly. It was a military dispatch from the border. I specially went to ask around. Xiliang hasn’t formally declared war on Hua, but they’ve secretly moved their army twenty li closer to the border. War could break out at any moment.”
Nalan Xuan could no longer maintain his composureless expression. He had known nothing about this. Not even the message exchanged the previous night had mentioned a single word of it. His brows drew together almost imperceptibly. This was unexpected and beyond his control, once again producing precisely the feeling he hated most. Yet the thing he had long anticipated was finally about to happen…
“His Majesty has his own methods. There’s no need for us to worry here. Besides, Xiliang can only hold its position for now. Their Third Prince is still in the imperial capital. Hua can use him as leverage at any time. It may not work forever, but it should at least deal with the immediate crisis.” Only after the words left his mouth did Nalan Xuan realize that he had somehow spoken what could almost be called reassurance, and the side he was reassuring was actually the Hua Dynasty.
“But there’s no time!” Xiao Jiu said anxiously. “There are problems both inside and outside. Lord Zhang and a group of officials have defected to Prince Yi. They’ve surrounded the Third Prince of Xiliang’s residence so tightly that not even water could get through, and they directly opened the city gates, letting the rebels march in without resistance. I’m afraid it won’t be long before they reach the imperial palace.” Cold sweat rolled down Xiao Jiu’s face. “A lot of consorts have already heard the news and started packing their belongings. They’re afraid that once the palace gates are breached they’ll be caught in the fighting, so everyone is trying to find some way to leave the palace as early as possible.” He cautiously glanced at Nalan Xuan, whose brows had drawn tight. “What does Master plan to do?”
“If everything you said is true, then the city is probably already in chaos. What difference does it make whether you escape the palace or not?” Nalan Xuan glanced at the trembling Xiao Jiu and scoffed. “If you want to leave the palace, I will not stop you. Take my waist token. You may ask around the palace and see whether anyone else wishes to leave with you. If you are going, you might as well go together. I will also give each of you one hundred taels of silver. Consider it a reward for serving me well these past days.”
“Master, this servant didn’t mean…”
“Do not rush to refuse.” Nalan Xuan turned toward Ji Yu and He Xiang, who stood silently nearby with lowered heads. “You two should think carefully as well. Stay or leave. I will give you the time and the chance to choose.”
With that, he swept his sleeve and walked out.
He had only just crossed the threshold when warmth settled over his shoulders. Ji Yu had hurried out behind him and draped a heavy cloak around him. Nalan Xuan glanced down at the pale-gold cloak, its fine fur trim gleaming softly as each strand shifted in the wind, and raised one brow. Ji Yu spoke before he could. “This servant has followed Master since childhood. This servant will not leave.”
Nalan Xuan could not describe what he felt. He was not someone easily moved, much less someone ruled by emotion, yet at that moment he was genuinely touched. Turning away, he let out a silent sigh. He did not know when it had begun, but he seemed to be growing less and less like the person he believed himself to be. He was not as ruthless and heartless as he thought, not as cold and cruel as he imagined. Somehow, he had even begun noticing those tiny details and storing them quietly inside his heart.
The first snow had come unusually late that year. Even though the winter solstice had already passed, not a trace of snow had fallen. The weather grew drier and colder with each day, as though the wind itself wanted to tear people apart. Without having anyone announce his arrival and accompanied only by Ji Yu, Nalan Xuan stood outside the Imperial Study. Even this place was so deserted it scarcely seemed inhabited, much less the rest of the palace. Remembering Xiao Jiu’s expression when he returned, Nalan Xuan could only imagine how much Xiao Jiu’s report had already softened the true severity of the situation.
There were clearly countless things waiting for him to do, yet he did not know why he was standing there. His mind was completely blank. He thought of nothing. He simply insisted, for reasons he could not explain, on remaining there and staring from afar at the tightly closed doors of the Imperial Study. The cold had long since seeped through his thick robes, yet Nalan Xuan could not feel it, even though Ji Yu thought his face had gone frighteningly pale.
After an unknown length of time, the doors of the Imperial Study finally opened. The person who emerged was neither Feng Xuanyi nor Mo Yan, who normally had unrestricted access, but the Empress Dowager, who had rarely left her residence since Feng Xuanyi ascended the throne and had supposedly spent her days eating vegetarian meals, worshipping Buddha, and ignoring worldly affairs.
The Empress Dowager, nearing forty, no longer looked faded and lifeless as she had when Nalan Xuan last saw her. Dressed in bright and luxurious robes, she emerged from the Imperial Study at an unhurried pace surrounded by palace attendants, almost like a completely different person. Triumph and delight shone so openly across her face that she could not suppress them. When she saw Nalan Xuan standing outside with a deathly pale expression, she froze briefly, then approached him with a brilliant smile.