Elio’s Notes: The title, 从此隔音尘, comes from Wei Zhuang’s Heye Bei: I Remember That Year Beneath the Flowers (《荷叶杯·记得那年花下》). After recalling a secret meeting and parting at dawn, the lyric says that from then on the lovers were cut off from all news of one another.
In the fourth month comes summer; by the sixth, the heat begins to pass.
Elio’s Notes: The opening is quoted from April (《四月》) in the Book of Songs, specifically the Xiaoya section.
In the imperial palace at Bianjing, the Emperor remained confined to his sickbed, yet still had to deal with Wang Rao’s case. Collusion with the enemy was an exceptionally grave crime, though in consideration of Wang Rao’s former bravery and distinguished military achievements, there remained some room for leniency.
“What does the Grand Tutor think?”
Zhao Kuangyin pondered for a long time. Wang Rao could not escape responsibility, but he feared… Yunjie was truly pitiful. He was about to speak when he saw the determination in the Emperor’s eyes. “This matter is of enormous importance. We intend to use it as a warning to those who come after, so that no one will dare harbor thoughts of betraying the realm again. While these ten thousand li of mountains and rivers remain unsettled for even a single day, We cannot relax for a single day.”
Once those words were spoken, severe punishment was inevitable. Wang Rao would certainly be sentenced to death, and there was even a danger that his three clans would be implicated.
Elio’s Notes: “Punishing the three clans” was a severe form of collective punishment extending a condemned person’s crime to close kin. Precisely which branches were counted could vary by period and legal tradition; the novel uses the conventional phrase 三族.
No matter what, Zhao Kuangyin could not bear to see Wang Rao’s relatives dragged down with him. Hardening his resolve, he could think of only one expedient. “Years ago, this subject was once betrothed to Wang Rao’s daughter. Therefore, I beg Your Majesty, in your boundless grace, to consider the innocence of his family and his former military service and spare the lives of the several hundred members of his household.”
The Emperor saw his sincerity and unexpectedly nodded. “The Grand Tutor possesses the breadth of mind to tolerate others. For your sake, We shall spare his three clans. But Wang Rao’s capital crime can under no circumstances be pardoned.”
Relieved, Zhao Kuangyin thanked the Emperor for his immense grace. He never expected His Majesty suddenly to burst into laughter. “Since the Grand Tutor already had a marriage agreement years ago, why should We not choose an auspicious day and bestow the marriage upon you? This northern campaign was fraught with danger, and it was also the Grand Tutor who discerned and exposed Wang Rao’s treason. Such merit deserves reward.”
Zhao Kuangyin had invented the engagement on the spot solely to save Wang Rao’s household, without time to consider anything else. How could he have imagined such an outcome? Yet he could not refuse too obviously, so he could only accept provisionally and make other plans later.
When he returned to the Grand Tutor’s residence, Zhao Guangyi was speechless upon hearing the story. “Does Big Brother know how you intend to bring this matter to an end?”
“What matter?” Zhao Kuangyin sat directly in a chair, showing no concern.
“Wang Rao will be executed tomorrow. What is Yunjie supposed to do then?”
“I know she will have difficulty accepting it. But Wang Rao entrusted Yunjie to me and made me promise to keep her safe. Today, I had no choice but to claim there had once been an engagement between us. There was simply no other way.”
“This will certainly become a tangled affair. Big Brother seems to have encountered a calamity involving a beauty. Yunjie has given you her whole heart, yet now…” Zhao Guangyi sighed inwardly, sounding somewhat regretful.
Zhao Kuangyin, however, paid it little mind. “I have regarded her as a younger sister for many years. When Wang Rao entrusted her to me, it was only so that an elder brother would protect her. There is nothing else.” Zhao Guangyi watched him place the scroll he always carried beside the couch and could not agree. “Miss Yunjie is surely better than one cold painted portrait.”
“Guangyi! What nonsense are you talking about?” Zhao Kuangyin’s brows rose as he rebuked him, his tone immediately sharpening.
“Yunjie’s feelings were already unmistakably revealed on that embroidered handkerchief. Big Brother simply refused to notice them.” Zhao Guangyi remained certain, drinking his tea without looking at him. If Yunjie could share a hundred years of marital harmony with Big Brother, surely that would be better than watching him lose his senses over a painting and ruin his own future. That painting had already become more important than his life. What else might he one day sacrifice for it? Zhao Kuangyin might be willing, but Zhao Guangyi certainly was not.
At the mention of the handkerchief, Zhao Kuangyin suddenly stopped responding.
“Tomorrow, before Wang Rao’s residence is sealed and confiscated, I’ll bring Yunjie back here.”
The carriage and horses were made ready.
People were already scattering from the Wang residence, which had suddenly become an object of public condemnation. Popular feeling was soaring after the great victory over Liao, and the discovery of a traitor who had colluded with the enemy was regarded as a profound disgrace. Even before Zhao Kuangyin’s party drew near, they could see people who had long held grudges against Wang Rao venting their anger upon the walls of the estate. Zhao Kuangyin had come personally and immediately stationed men around the residence to prevent opportunists from using the disorder to harm innocents. He feared that after losing her father, Yunjie and her widowed mother would have nowhere to go. Since he had already given Wang Rao his word, he had to keep them safe.
There was no longer anyone guarding the gates. Zhao Kuangyin had hurried here before the confiscation began in order to take Yunjie away, and he entered without difficulty. In the middle of the courtyard, Ling’er was distributing property. Women and children were crying everywhere, but Yunjie was nowhere to be seen. Zhao Kuangyin had no time for anything else. “Where is your young lady?” Unexpectedly, Ling’er looked up, saw who had arrived, and immediately flew into a rage. Forgetting all decorum, she shouted in the courtyard and rushed straight at him, single-mindedly intending to avenge Wang Rao.
The servants too were filled with anger. Everyone in the streets knew that Zhao Kuangyin had exposed Wang Rao’s collusion with the enemy and had consequently been promoted and ennobled. Ling’er did not understand the truth behind what had happened and immediately began struggling with him.
Zhao Kuangyin’s accompanying guards instantly drew their blades, but he waved them back. Reaching out, he caught Ling’er by the right arm. “There isn’t much time. Go call Yunjie out.”
Caught in his grip, Ling’er felt pain shoot through her arm but continued cursing. “My young lady wasted her devotion on you! You actually repay kindness with betrayal! Have you forgotten how my lord treated you in the old days…”
“Ling’er, shut your mouth!”
Yunjie emerged supporting her mother. Madam Wang had fallen ill years ago and had never been in good health. After this latest devastating blow, she had become completely bedridden. Yunjie loudly ordered Ling’er to come support her mother, then walked toward Zhao Kuangyin herself.
She gave him a graceful bow but refused to raise her eyes. “This is the household of a condemned criminal. It is inappropriate for My Lord to come here. Please leave.”
“I came to take you with me. While your father was awaiting judgment, he entrusted you to me. Zhao Kuangyin is not a man who forgets kindness. His crimes were simply too grave, and His Majesty judged them clearly.”
Ling’er began shouting again from behind. Yunjie turned and glared at her. “I knew that what Father was doing would one day bring this consequence. No one else can be blamed. But he… was still my father. Please go back. Mother and I will return with our relatives to the old country residence.”
“Return to the countryside? You are far too naive. When the nest is overturned, how can any egg remain whole? You and your mother may be threatened from every side before you even reach home. Only by coming with me can you remain safe for the time being.” Zhao Kuangyin ordered his men to help Madam Wang into the carriage.
Yunjie stubbornly refused and lowered her voice. “Lord Zhao, His Majesty already sent someone yesterday to proclaim the decree. Everyone now knows you claimed that you and I were once betrothed. That is the only reason the confiscation was delayed today, entirely out of consideration for Lord Zhao so that our household might retain some dignity. But you and I understand better than anyone that the engagement was a fiction. Overnight, Yunjie has ceased to be the cherished daughter of a Military Governor. I am no longer worthy of reaching above my station, nor do I want Lord Zhao to go against his own heart. Forgive me, but I cannot obey.”
Zhao Kuangyin stepped forward and pulled her toward him. The circumstances were too urgent for him to worry about propriety. “Stop talking. Since you already know His Majesty originally intended severe punishment, there is even less time to waste. Come back with me.”
She broke free and retreated. “The lives of more than a hundred members of the Wang household were preserved entirely through Lord Zhao’s protection. Yunjie knows she has no face left to continue living. On the day Father is executed, I will simply follow him in death and consider the debt repaid. I only ask that you spare the innocent members of our family.”
“What nonsense are you talking about!” Zhao Kuangyin knew she must be overwhelmed with grief and anger, but he had not expected her to form such an intention. Anxiety immediately seized him. Madam Wang had watched everything from nearby and suddenly spoke. “Yunjie, come with me into the carriage.”
Tears abruptly fell from Yunjie’s eyes. “My mind is made up. Mother, why force me?”
“Come here!” Yunjie would never dare defy her mother. Seeing Madam Wang’s haggard face and knowing her illness had already worsened after successive blows, she could not allow anything else to happen to her. Yunjie struggled inwardly again and again. “Yunjie, will you no longer listen even to your mother?”
She could only call Ling’er over and accompany her into the carriage.
The party returned to the Grand Tutor’s residence. Along the road, they actually saw people who had long hated Wang Rao carrying buckets of filth toward the estate, intending to splash it across the gates. Yunjie endured as long as she could before finally breaking down in tears.
Zhao Kuangyin rode alongside the carriage. Hearing her sobbing, he reached in and silently handed her a handkerchief.
Ling’er felt even more wronged on behalf of her young lady. Seeing Yunjie cry, she too could no longer hold back her tears.
Madam Wang took Yunjie’s hand. “Everything your father fought for throughout his life was only so that this entire family might enjoy honor afterward, and the person he could least bear to leave behind was you. Since Lord Zhao is willing to look after us today, then first preserve your life and speak of other matters later. Why act so foolishly?” Madam Wang had lived through more of the world and understood how to yield with circumstances. Unlike Yunjie, who acted from wounded pride, she knew that amid catastrophe, obtaining even one shelter was already fortune within misfortune.
No one spoke inside the carriage. Yunjie forced back her tears and drew a deep breath. “Ling’er, from now on this will not be our own home. You must be careful in everything. You are not permitted to speak disrespectfully again.”
Ling’er looked even more aggrieved and wept with her head lowered.
The street before the Wang residence was in chaos, packed with citizens shouting abuse.
From horseback, Zhao Kuangyin watched and understood that Wang Rao’s years of secret alliances had long since cost him the people’s support. He could only sigh in regret. In the chaotic years of the past, Wang Rao had once been a man with whom he shared deep bonds. Today, one wrong step had carried him into an entirely different fate. In truth, Wang Rao had not been wrong in principle. He had simply judged things far too lightly, and the timing had been wrong. Since ancient times, replacing an incompetent and immoral ruler had been commonplace, but the present Emperor was an enlightened sovereign. Wang Rao’s scheme had been far too risky. Worse still, he had planned to collude with Liao. They themselves had fought to establish the Zhou realm with their own hands in earlier years. To cast all that aside now and ally with a foreign power for immediate advantage was something Zhao Kuangyin simply could not accept.
He ordered men ahead to clear the road and disperse the idle crowd. When Yunjie felt the carriage suddenly stop, she knew people must have gathered ahead and were blocking their passage. Hearing Zhao Kuangyin giving orders outside, she felt slightly reassured.
He still kept loyalty and feeling within his heart. That was what made him different from her father. Whatever Zhao Kuangyin sought might be greater still, and his methods would certainly not be simple, but the boundaries within his heart were clear. Everything had a line he would not cross. Yunjie suddenly remembered that book of prophecy. Whether it had been coincidence or merely self-deception, Father’s fears had ultimately come true. Perhaps this truly was the working of Heaven’s mandate.
Once they reached the Grand Tutor’s residence, Yunjie, her mother, and the few personal maids who remained were all settled in Autumn Pavilion. From the moment she entered the residence, Yunjie refused to see any outsiders, saying only that her mother was still ill, and shut herself inside Autumn Pavilion every day.
Zhao Guangyi happened to see this and found it strange. “Big Brother isn’t going to visit?”
“No.” Zhao Kuangyin emerged after changing his clothes. “I know she must be suffering terribly. Besides… if there had been any other choice, I doubt Yunjie would willingly live under another person’s roof. If I went there, I would only make things more uncomfortable for mother and daughter. Why bother?”
“But His Majesty already knows about the two of you, and now you’ve even brought her into your residence. If the imperial marriage decree truly comes down one day…”
“It doesn’t matter. Wang Rao will be executed tomorrow. She…” He could not bear to say it, but it was the truth. “She will therefore be in mourning. His Majesty is an enlightened ruler. For the time being, he cannot force someone into marriage while she is observing filial mourning.”
Zhao Guangyi gave a cold laugh. Who exactly would be forcing whom? You have no desire for it either.
On the day Wang Rao was executed, Zhao Kuangyin was inside the palace discussing state affairs. Affairs of government never waited for anyone’s grief. The Emperor picked up a memorial submitted by the southern kingdom. “The ruler of Jiangnan has petitioned Us. He will send the Prince of Wu, Li Congjia, to receive the imperial court’s envoy. Does the Grand Tutor have anyone suitable to recommend?”
“Li Congjia?” Zhao Kuangyin was somewhat surprised to hear the name. “For the southern kingdom, this should be one of its most important affairs in recent days.”
“What is it? When We read the southern ruler’s memorial during the campaign, We already thought Li Congjia should be the one appointed. That is precisely why We asked the Grand Tutor’s opinion.” The Emperor moved and pulled at his wound. Pain struck, and he thumped the area twice. “This old injury has been troubling Us again lately. Cough, cough.”
Zhao Kuangyin persuaded him to sit upon a nearby cushioned couch. The northern imperial palace was far less extravagant than the palaces of the southern kingdom. Though carved balustrades still crossed the halls, the inner chamber possessed a restrained austerity. His Majesty had always encouraged frugality, and even the couch was padded with nothing more than yellow silk. The Emperor waved a hand to indicate that he was fine. “It is indeed a matter of first importance. That is why the southern ruler entrusted it to the Prince of Wu.”
Zhao Kuangyin understood. “If this matter succeeds, Li Congjia’s position as Crown Prince will certainly be secure.”
“That is why We have considered for several days whom to send. Our original intention is to encourage trade between north and south. But the territories north of the river have only just been acquired, and this journey must also determine the true measure of this man. If Li Congjia eventually succeeds to the throne, will he still submit? Therefore, whoever goes must possess both wisdom and courage and investigate him properly.”
Something stirred inside Zhao Kuangyin. Yet he remembered everything he had seen while traveling north after leaving the southern kingdom. The prefectures north of the river had been incorporated overnight into another realm, inevitably stirring resentment among the people. Under such circumstances, determining the proper limits of renewed trade would be extraordinarily difficult. He needed to understand the situation clearly. Zhao Kuangyin wanted to know precisely where the Emperor’s boundary lay. “This subject dares speculate upon Your Majesty’s intention. Do you mean that this matter must not be agreed to too readily?”
The Emperor laughed. “It benefits both sides. We merely fear the people’s loyalties may waver.”
Zhao Kuangyin understood that this was His Majesty’s true concern. Under ordinary circumstances, reopening trade should have waited until a period of stability had passed and certainly should not have happened so quickly. The southern ruler was probably eager to recover tax revenue after the war and unwilling to wait through the transition, hence his haste in sending someone to negotiate.
Zhao Kuangyin examined the memorial carefully, then knelt to request the assignment. “This subject has received Your Majesty’s immense grace and has also traveled deeply through the southern kingdom and gained some understanding of it. I therefore presumptuously ask Your Majesty to appoint me to this mission.”
The Emperor nodded. “That was precisely Our intention. We simply did not know whether it would be appropriate. Since the Grand Tutor himself is willing, We grant the request.”
When Zhao Kuangyin departed after receiving his orders, the imperial physicians had already been kneeling outside the hall for a long time. Important affairs were being discussed within, and though it was already time for His Majesty’s treatment, repeated requests for admission had been denied. At last, several physicians became so worried that they forgot propriety and cried aloud, “His Majesty’s wound is cause for grave concern. He absolutely must not continue exhausting his mind!”
Zhao Kuangyin emerged and ordered sharply, “Who permitted you to shout here? Is His Majesty’s condition something you can casually speak of without restraint?” Yet inwardly he knew that in the summer heat, an old wound that had begun to fester was exceptionally dangerous. His Majesty had also gone without rest for days, first because of Wang Rao and now because of Jiangnan. At this rate, perhaps… Zhao Kuangyin’s expression remained grave throughout the journey out of the palace. Everyone within the palace was already worried, and seeing even the Grand Tutor appear concerned only caused whispers to spread in every direction.
Before reaching the imperial avenue, he heard that Wang Rao had died. Zhao Kuangyin looked upward from horseback. The midday sun blazed overhead. If Wang Rao retained awareness beneath the earth, did he still remember the grand ambitions of those earlier days?
The clear heavens and bright world lay before him. Floating clouds changed from moment to moment, and the future remained impossible to read. He still needed to wait a little longer. Fortunately, it would not be very long… Zhao Kuangyin urged his horse forward with a crack of the whip, dust surging behind him as ten thousand li of mountains and rivers unfolded ahead.
If you believe in that occult prophecy, then I will fulfill the prophecy.
Upon returning, he heard muffled weeping from Autumn Pavilion. White mourning silk filled the place, yet Yunjie herself was nowhere to be seen. Zhao Kuangyin summoned one of the household maids. “How are things in Autumn Pavilion?”
“Miss Yunjie ordered the mourning hall prepared. Nothing else unusual has happened.”
“Remember to have the physician attend Madam Wang on time. Nothing must happen to her. All of you must remember that the Wang household once showed me kindness. Wang Rao’s surviving family must never be neglected or treated with contempt. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
Just as Zhao Kuangyin turned to leave, a familiar voice suddenly came from behind him. “Does the Grand Tutor have time to listen to a few idle words from Yunjie?” Yunjie wore full mourning dress. Her pale face clearly showed that she had only just been crying. It was the first time she had appeared before Zhao Kuangyin in several days, and he could only think that she had grown much thinner. “Why be so formal?” He sighed and motioned for her to follow.
There was no one else inside the study.
Yunjie bowed. Zhao Kuangyin could only sigh helplessly. “Yunjie, you are doing this deliberately to keep your distance from me. Do you take me for some petty man who would exploit another person’s misfortune?”
“You know I absolutely do not mean that.” Yunjie shook her head. “I came especially to thank the Grand Tutor.” Her features were extraordinarily gentle. She had once been the treasured pearl of a Military Governor’s residence, yet overnight her family had been shattered and her father killed. No outsider could truly be blamed for what had happened, but grief inevitably accumulated within her. In only a few days, she had become gaunt.
Zhao Kuangyin gestured for her to sit, but Yunjie still shook her head. Standing alone in the study, she slowly asked, “Does the Grand Tutor know what lies in Yunjie’s heart?”
“I know you do not wish to accept favors from anyone at a time like this. And I was directly involved in your father’s death.”
“No. What Father planned was not something conceived in a day or two. When Yunjie first discovered it, I already imagined this outcome. Though Yunjie possesses only the thoughts of a woman, matters of state and military affairs concern the livelihood of countless people, and even I understand that much. If…” Tears still glimmered at the corners of her eyes. “If Father truly had succeeded, who could guarantee that war would not have erupted again? Yunjie never wanted to see that.”
Zhao Kuangyin poured her a cup of tea and held it out. She hesitated for a long while before finally accepting it. Lowering her head, tears once again soaked her clothing. “Yunjie secretly investigated Father’s plans. In the end, that means I too became one of the causes of his death.”
Zhao Kuangyin had never imagined she would think this way. “Yunjie, what could any of this possibly have to do with you?”
The woman in white mourning robes drank the tea through her tears. Suddenly, she extended the cup toward Zhao Kuangyin. He reached for it as well, unsuspecting. “No matter what, Father raised me. Yunjie no longer has the face to cling to life today… and I fear I can never repay the Grand Tutor’s kindness…” In an instant, her right hand drew a dagger from within her clothing, intending to kill herself before him as one final repayment of his great kindness.
Zhao Kuangyin was horrified. His fingers had already reached the rim of the porcelain cup. In desperation, he flung it from his hand. The cup flew with tremendous force, striking the hand that held the blade and immediately shattering.
Caught completely off guard, Yunjie fell to the floor. As a physically fragile young woman, she could not possibly move as quickly as he did. “Are you mad?” The dagger had not managed to injure her, but fragments from the shattered cup cut her neck instead. Blood stood stark against her spotless white mourning clothes, making the sight even more desolate.
“What use is there in saving me? You can save me for a moment, but not for a lifetime.”
Her determination to die was already fixed. Zhao Kuangyin, however, flew into a rage. “Why are all of you so determined to throw yourselves into death? He was like this back then, and now you are the same. Is Zhao Kuangyin truly unable to keep anyone’s heart?”
Yunjie stared at him in astonishment. He looked nothing like his usual self, and she had no idea whom he meant by he. She struggled to rise, but perhaps the blow had injured her arm, because for the moment she could not get up.
Zhao Kuangyin said nothing more. He came forward, lifted her without hesitation, and carried her toward Autumn Pavilion. “I’m telling you, Yunjie, your widowed mother is still sick. Even if you yourself have no desire to keep living, you must remember her and endure for your mother’s sake!”
Thinking of her mother, Yunjie broke into uncontrollable sobs again.
“If I can keep him from dying, then I can keep you from dying too. Whoever I intend to keep, I will keep!” For the first time, she saw his swordlike brows drawn tightly together and his commanding presence blazing with force, the frightening aura he normally kept concealed suddenly breaking free.
The sunlight stretched their shadows longer and longer, openly mocking the joys and sorrows of the human world. Who could truly protect whom? People merely persisted in their own attachments.
He said the person he wanted to keep… Did he want to keep her?
Yunjie raised her hand and only then noticed that her fingertip had been cut as well. Blood ran down her hand, yet she felt no pain. “When you clearly do not want to, why deceive me?”
Zhao Kuangyin strode toward Autumn Pavilion with her in his arms. “What do I not want?”
“Nothing…” She no longer wished to say it. Before he left for the campaign, he had claimed to have seen the handkerchief, yet he had shown not the slightest response. Saying more would accomplish nothing. When her mother saw Zhao Kuangyin carry her back covered in blood, she immediately knew something else must have happened and came forward intending to scold her. Zhao Kuangyin stopped her. “Madam, why blame Yunjie? I know that many people of the Wang household resent me. But whatever I have promised, I will certainly do.” Then he turned and left.
Night. Mirage vapors rise into towers; frogs sing like pipes and strings. In Jiangnan, the days of Huanhua have already passed.
Elio’s Notes: The first two images come from Tang poet Jia Yan’s Scenes of Jiangnan: Early Summer (《状江南·孟夏》): mirage-like vapors forming towers and frogs sounding like an orchestra. The final phrase, 已过浣花天, echoes Lu You’s much later Southern Song poem Early Summer (《初夏》), so the narration deliberately blends poetry from different periods.
Zhao Kuangyin would depart immediately the next day. He summoned Guangyi and instructed him, “Big Brother does not know how many days this journey will take. Yunjie is still deep in grief, so I leave the residence to Guangyi. Watch her carefully. Do not let her do anything foolish again.”
Zhao Guangyi cared more about another matter. “Why does Big Brother need to go personally merely because the southern kingdom has submitted a request? Wouldn’t making the Jiangnan envoy come to the capital better display the dignity of the superior court?”
Zhao Kuangyin frowned. “It has already been decided. There is no need to say more.”
“You’re still taking that painting with you?”
“This painting was never Big Brother’s property to begin with. Perhaps the time has come to return it.” He lifted his brush and wrote a letter, but did not use his official seal, instead privately sending someone to deliver it. Zhao Guangyi watched and again thought of Yunjie’s embroidered handkerchief. By the time this letter reached another person’s hands, several days had already passed.
Li Congjia held the weightless sheet of paper in his hand, then opened his fingers and watched the wind carry it upward.
There were only a few words. “Meet me in Luzhou.”
He had never imagined that Zhao Kuangyin, now holding such rank, would still be willing to travel south again. Li Congjia lifted his brush and wrote his reply.
By the time Zhao Kuangyin saw that exquisitely distinctive handwriting again, he had already reached Luzhou.