Gongsun E stood where he was, outwardly composed while his mind raced, trying to work out how he could explain his way out of this mess.
For all his calculations, he had failed to account for Fang Shoulian. With that man’s terror of death, who knew how much he had revealed?
Seeing Gongsun E fall silent, Wei Xiao walked slowly up to him. He stopped, bent close to his ear, and spoke in a low voice that only the two of them could hear.
“Did you really think I hadn’t discovered you secretly reading the Crown Prince’s confidential letter that night?”
The words fell lightly against his ear, yet landed like a silent hammer blow.
Gongsun E had been concealing things from Wei Xiao all along.
Wei Xiao had never truly trusted Gongsun E either. He had been watching him in secret ever since they boarded the boat.
All his deliberate tests these past days had merely been designed to lower Gongsun E’s guard, so Wei Xiao could use him to uncover Shen Wanjin’s whereabouts. If Wei Xiao were really so easy to fool, how could he have risen to his present position?
But this time, Wei Xiao was thoroughly convinced that Gongsun E’s repeated professions of loyalty had been nothing but calculated attempts to use him. Rather than fly into a rage, he let out a laugh so faint it was almost inaudible, filled with bitter mockery and self-derision.
“Lord Gongsun, it seems that in the end, you and I will never walk the same road.”
“From this day forward, whether we live or die, each of us will have to leave it to fate.”
For a moment, the scene before them seemed to overlap with their previous life.
It was as if they had returned to those years of opposing each other at court, fighting openly and maneuvering against each other in secret.
Gongsun E lowered his eyes and said nothing. Perhaps the scene was too familiar, so familiar that it almost stirred nostalgia. Hearing Wei Xiao’s words, he showed not the slightest alarm. Instead, the corner of his mouth lifted almost imperceptibly. His low reply carried an ambiguous meaning.
“Can Your Excellency really bear to do that?”
Wei Xiao’s face darkened. To him, Gongsun E still showed no repentance even now. He gave a cold flick of his sleeve.
“Take them away.”
He Tianyang glanced at Gongsun E, wanting to speak but hesitating. “Lord Gongsun…”
Gongsun E said nothing and allowed himself to be escorted onto the boat.
What was there left to say? They had all been caught in one net.
The treatment of prisoners has never been particularly pleasant, in any age.
When Gongsun E, He Tianyang, and the others were taken off the boat, they were locked straightaway in the Eastern Depot’s private dungeon. Whether or not the jailers had received special instructions, they deliberately separated the two men, lodging one at one end of the passage and the other at the opposite end. Shen Wanjin was taken away for questioning alone, and no one knew what had happened to him.
He Tianyang gripped the bars of his cell and struggled to push his head out, peering toward Gongsun E.
“Lord Gongsun, what are we supposed to do now?”
How was Gongsun E supposed to know what to do?
A former lover after a falling-out could be far more terrifying than an enemy at court, especially someone as vindictive as Wei Xiao. Make him miserable for a day, and he could make you miserable for a year.
“First, let’s think of some way to get out of this prison.”
“What if we can’t think of anything?”
“Then take a nap and think again afterward.”
Gongsun E’s cell was actually quite clean. Having said that, he really did lie down on his bed, fold both hands behind his head, and close his eyes to sleep.
He Tianyang’s eyes widened. He had been about to protest that this was hardly the time to be thinking of sleep. But the whole dungeon was deserted, without so much as a ghost in sight, and there seemed to be little else they could do.
He looked around and found a pile of straw to lie on. After a whole day of surveillance, mountain climbing, and making an arrest, he was utterly exhausted. The moment he finally relaxed, fatigue overwhelmed him.
He Tianyang yawned and mumbled, “My lord, I’ll close my eyes for a while. If you come up with a plan, remember to wake me.”
Before he had even finished the sentence, he was asleep.
Gongsun E lay on his bed with his eyes closed and gave no answer.
Only after He Tianyang’s breathing had grown slow and even, as though he were fast asleep, did Gongsun E gradually open his eyes.
The dungeon was so dark he could not see his hand before his face. Only the torch at the end of the passage still cast a trace of light. Slowly he raised his right hand before his eyes and moved his fingers, as if trying to grasp something in empty air. But there was nothing there to hold.
Given a second life, Gongsun E had intended to take advantage of Wei Xiao’s feelings for him, insinuate himself quietly into the other man’s confidence, and draw him little by little onto his own path. But he had overlooked one thing: those who follow different principles ultimately cannot work together.
If it came to a matter of life and death, Wei Xiao would certainly risk his life to protect him.
But in a struggle at court, Wei Xiao had his own position to uphold.
If he truly were a man so blinded by love that he abandoned all other considerations, why had he spent so many years opposing Gongsun E in their previous life, refusing to betray his own principles and change sides?
Thinking this, Gongsun E turned over silently in the darkness.
The dungeon was too quiet, much like that lifeless imperial bedchamber from his previous life.
As sleepiness crept over him, this time, at last, he dreamed of Wei Xiao.
But in the dream, they were not bitter enemies standing on opposite sides of the court, trading sharp words over the division between purity and corruption. Nor was it one of those long, lonely nights when Gongsun E had tossed and turned within the imperial city after Wei Xiao’s death.
Instead, he dreamed of the day he entered court as a man without an official appointment and was named Criminal Investigation Commissioner, when he and Wei Xiao passed one another before the doors of a palace hall.
The sunlight was clear that day. Civil and military officials stood in ranks to either side. Newly appointed, Gongsun E wore a frost-colored official robe and ascended the side steps. By then, Wei Xiao was already the all-powerful Chief Eunuch of the Eastern Depot, approaching slowly from the other end of the corridor in a dark-red python robe.
They encountered one another before Qianyuan Hall, coming face-to-face in silence.
It had been the most ordinary of encounters, a passing moment without so much as a greeting.
Even Gongsun E had nearly forgotten it.
Yet when he recalled it now, he found that every detail remained astonishingly clear.
He remembered the lowered eyes beneath Wei Xiao’s hat brim, the fair skin made almost translucent in the sunlight, and that thin, sharp chin.
At first sight, Gongsun E had wondered how this quiet-looking Chief Eunuch Wei could seem so unlike the ruthless, overwhelmingly powerful man of rumor.
Then, at his second glance, he noticed the other man’s half-blind bluish eye and was startled.
Gongsun E had never imagined that the young eunuch beaten bloody beneath the palace wall ten years earlier could have climbed to such a lofty position.
When he had taken off his cloak to cover the young eunuch all those years ago, it had been no more than a moment of pity. Later, he had taken away the sachet simply because he admired its intricate mother-and-child gourd embroidery. He once had one exactly like it in Luzhou, but had accidentally lost it; seeing this one stirred a little nostalgia.
Yet through all the years that followed, the sachet had remained in a hidden pocket inside his sleeve. Wherever he traveled, he never discarded it.
Even he could not say whether he had simply forgotten to take it out or had been hoping that one day he might return it to its owner.
His fingertips twitched faintly inside his hanging sleeve. He wanted to say something.
He thought that Wei Xiao must have endured many hardships on his way to such power.
But then he had thought that someone who had already gained such glory would surely have no wish to remember the humiliation of his past. And so Gongsun E had never brought it up, never acknowledged that they had known each other. Divided by the gulf of their opposing positions at court, he had believed that leaving that wretched past undisturbed was a way of preserving dignity.
The sunlight before the palace hall was as clear as ever. Wei Xiao approached from the other end, his dark-red python robe shining richly in the daylight.
They passed one another, and neither looked back.
Gongsun E remembered pausing for a moment, listening as the footsteps behind him gradually receded before continuing up the side steps.
So he had recognized the young eunuch even then.
It was only that so much time had passed, he had forgotten even that.
The light in his dream grew brighter and brighter, dazzling him until he could no longer see the path he had come by. Memories surged like the tide, then suddenly ebbed away.
When Gongsun E jolted awake, all he could see was the pitch-dark dungeon.
He lay with his eyes open, staring at the blurred stonework above him for a long while before slowly regaining his senses. Then he pushed himself upright on the straw mat.
“Lord Gongsun, you’re awake?”
An incongruously ingratiating voice suddenly broke the silence. Gongsun E frowned slightly and looked up. Outside the bars stood a familiar figure, hunched over with a smile plastered across his face. Who else could it be but Fang Shoulian?
Fang Shoulian had changed into clean clothes and was carrying a food box. He stood beyond the cell door, bowing and scraping to Gongsun E through the iron bars.
Gongsun E did not speak at once. He simply raised an eyebrow. “Well, if it isn’t Intendant Fang.”
Under that look, Fang Shoulian struggled to keep smiling. He edged half a step forward in embarrassment. “My lord, this humble official has brought you your evening meal.”
Gongsun E returned the question. “You came in from outside?”
Perhaps the food box was too heavy, for Fang Shoulian simply set it on the ground and bent closer to the cell door. Folding both hands into his sleeves, he smiled obsequiously. “Why, my lord, where else could I have come from? Those jailers out there are a troublesome lot. It took quite some effort to get in to see you.”
Gongsun E rose and walked to the bars. “Intendant Fang, whether you came to visit is beside the point. There is one thing I find particularly difficult to understand. We handled the matter together. We stole the things together. So why am I the only one locked up while you are still free to wander around outside?”
In Gongsun E’s opinion, the man ought at least to be occupying the cell beside his own.
Fang Shoulian lowered his head guiltily, his eyes darting everywhere. “W-w-well…”
Gongsun E wore an expression that was not quite a smile. “Come now, Intendant Fang. What exactly did you confess when they caught you?”
Fang Shoulian pulled a miserable face. “Lord Gongsun, what could I confess? I could only answer whatever the Chief Eunuch asked. If I weren’t also serving in an important post administering the salt laws of the Two Huai, and if Yangzhou’s government didn’t need someone on duty, I would probably be locked up just like you.”
Gongsun E raised an eyebrow. “You’re certain you didn’t throw the blame onto me?”
“How would I dare! I only told them the truth!”
“What did you tell him?”
“The Chief Eunuch asked how I got into that room, so I had to tell him honestly. Lord Gongsun was holding the command token and forced me to enter. Then he forced me to read the confidential letter. I had no choice but to obey his orders.”
In short, no matter what had happened, Gongsun E had forced him to do it.
“…”
Well. Gongsun E finally understood why Fang Shoulian was still free to stroll around outside.
The man had dumped every charge onto Gongsun E’s shoulders. Since he had seen Wei Xiao’s waist token, Fang Shoulian insisted that he had merely been “acting on the authority of the token.” Who could find fault with that? Besides, he was usually diligent and capable enough in his duties, and Wei Xiao knew exactly what kind of man Fang Shoulian was: terrified of death, but useful enough when given orders. So he had treated him leniently.
Gongsun E lifted his eyes. “Intendant Fang, you’ve managed to push every crime onto me while keeping your own hands remarkably clean.”
Although what Fang Shoulian had said was, in fact, true.
Fang Shoulian began to sob. “Lord Gongsun, I had no choice! If I hadn’t confessed honestly, the Chief Eunuch would certainly have killed me!”
“And you aren’t afraid I’ll kill you?”
Fang Shoulian hesitated and stumbled over his reply, his voice dropping considerably. “But… but you’re locked up now, aren’t you?”
Gongsun E said nothing. He merely nodded calmly. “Very well. Then just wait until I get out, and I’ll kill you afterward.”
Fang Shoulian: “?!!!!”
His face stiffened. He hurried another half-step forward and whispered nervously, “My lord, I was only joking with you. What sort of man are you, and what sort of man am I? Killing me would be no harder for you than crushing an ant.”
On the other side of the bars, he rubbed his hands together guiltily and added, “Besides, Lord Gongsun, aren’t you and the Chief Eunuch on exceptionally good personal terms? Just beg him a little. I’m certain he’ll let you out.”
Gongsun E gave him a sidelong look. “That was before. Can’t you see that our relationship has fallen apart now?”
Fang Shoulian made a startling suggestion. “I have an idea. Pretend you’re trying to take your own life.”
He furtively produced a small blood-filled pouch from his sleeve, his eyes shining. “Lord Gongsun, rub a little blood on your head, then throw yourself against the wall and shout a couple of times. They’ll naturally let you out. Even if the Chief Eunuch no longer cares about your former affection, he can’t simply watch you die in here. How would he explain himself if His Majesty started asking questions afterward?”
Gongsun E: “…”
While Gongsun E was still struggling to digest Fang Shoulian’s astonishingly outrageous plan, He Tianyang had apparently woken up at some point. He peered toward them from behind his cell door and asked:
“Hey, could I use that trick too?”
He still hoped to be promoted to a post in the capital, after all. He could not afford to have a criminal record.
“You?”
Fang Shoulian gave him a look of utter disdain and let out a derisive snort.
“You could smash your skull to pieces and still never get out.”
While they were talking, a sudden sound of footsteps and chains dragging across the ground came from outside, startling everyone. Fang Shoulian’s expression changed. He hurriedly picked up the food box and ducked aside, shrinking into a corner and scarcely daring to breathe.