Three cracks of the whip. Silence fell over the grand hall. The officials stood in their ranks, waiting.
Xue Liulan and Xue Feiyan stood side by side to the right of the throne.
"Liulan," the Emperor said, "how goes the investigation?"
Xue Liulan stepped forward and knelt on one knee. "Father, your son has not been idle. After interrogating the assassins, I have discovered the mastermind behind the attempt on the Princess Consort's life."
"Who?" The Emperor sat up straight.
Xue Liulan paused. He glanced at Deng Qinyao, who stood with his eyes downcast, then at Xue Feiyan, who stood calm and still.
"Speak."
"It was Lord Deng Qinyao." Xue Liulan pointed a long finger at the Prime Minister.
Deng Qinyao's face drained of color. He stumbled forward and fell to his knees. "Your Majesty! I am innocent! Innocent!"
The Emperor looked at Xue Liulan, skepticism plain on his face. Even Xue Feiyan's impassive mask cracked, his clenched fist relaxing slightly.
"Liulan, you say Lord Deng is involved. Do you have proof?"
"Of course, Father. Would I dare accuse a high minister without it?"
Xue Liulan pulled a document from his sleeve and presented it with both hands.
Guo Shangzhong took it and brought it to the Emperor. Before he even opened it, the metallic tang of blood hit him.
The Emperor frowned and unrolled the scroll.
White paper, dark red characters. A confession written in blood. In the dynasty, a blood oath was sacred. To lie in blood was to curse oneself to eternal damnation.
"Hmph! Deng Qinyao, what do you have to say now?" The Emperor threw the scroll down. It landed in front of the old man. "Look at it. Can you deny this?"
Deng Qinyao picked it up with trembling hands. Ordered to kill.Failure means death. The words seemed to crawl off the page.
"Innocent! Your Majesty, I am innocent!" he cried. "I have never even met the Crown Princess. Why would I risk treason to kill her? This is a frame-up!"
The Emperor looked back at Xue Liulan. Deng Qinyao was right. He had no motive.
"You have every reason to want Sister-in-law Murong Yu dead," Xue Liulan said with a cold sneer, looking down at the kneeling minister.
Deng Qinyao looked up, his eyes filled with hatred.
Xue Liulan smiled and turned to the Emperor. "Lord Deng was eliminating a threat for someone else."
"Oh?" The Emperor's eyes narrowed, flickering toward Xue Feiyan. But the Seventh Prince stood as steady as a mountain, as if none of this concerned him.
Whispers broke out in the hall. Who was this person? And what secret did the Crown Princess hold that was worth killing for?
"Father, there is one more thing," Xue Liulan said, changing the subject.
"What is it?"
Xue Liulan knelt fully, his voice ringing out. "Your son has discovered that Deng Qinyao has been privately forging weapons and recruiting soldiers. He intends to rebel. The evidence is conclusive."
"What?" The Emperor sucked in a cold breath. "Stand up and speak."
Xue Liulan rose. "I received word of this some time ago. Fearing to alert the enemy, I asked the Murong family to investigate. They not only found the locations but secured the evidence. The men involved have been detained and are being brought to the capital as we speak."
The Emperor stared at him for a long time. "Set aside today's matter for now. Take Deng Qinyao to the heavenly prison. When the witnesses and evidence arrive, the Minister of Justice, Li Yan, will preside over the trial. I will attend personally."
"Yes." Xue Liulan bowed his head, a faint smile catching Xue Feiyan's eye.
"Your Majesty! I am innocent!" Deng Qinyao was dragged away by the Imperial Guard, his cries echoing in the hall.
Everyone knew: the sky was about to change.
"Court is dismissed," Guo Shangzhong shrilled.
"We bid farewell to the Emperor."
Xue Liulan stepped out of the hall. Xue Feiyan fell into step beside him. Neither spoke. They walked side by side down the gravel path, not toward the exit, but toward a small, secluded pavilion they used to frequent.
"It's been a long time," Xue Liulan said, looking up at the plaque above the door. Yi Zui Fang Xiu—Rest Only After Drunk. The calligraphy was bold and free, written by the late Crown Prince, Xue Zhuoran, in a drunken stupor. "It's covered in dust."
"Big Brother liked it, so we hung it up. I remember. Every time we met here, we drank until we dropped," Xue Feiyan said from behind him, a nostalgic smile in his voice.
"A pity there is no wine."
"A pity we no longer have the heart for it."
They looked at each other and laughed. They sat on a rock in the bamboo grove, back to back.
"You could have wiped out Deng Qinyao today," Xue Feiyan said calmly.
"As long as Empress Deng is in the palace, I cannot wipe out either you or him," Xue Liulan replied.
The harem and the court were intertwined.
"You're confident you can uproot the Deng family?" Xue Feiyan was surprised. He knew his brother had hidden strength, but not this much.
"I'm waiting." Xue Liulan shielded his eyes from the sun.
Waiting for what? Xue Feiyan didn't ask. He chuckled. "Losing to you… isn't such an injustice."
"Hm?" Xue Liulan was surprised. His brother was proud. He rarely admitted defeat.
"On my way back from the Yanyun lands, I went to Yin."
"Gongzi Suyi?"
"He told me I lost the first move in this game. I thought he meant the alliance with the vassal lords. But now I see." Xue Feiyan sat up straight.
Xue Liulan listened.
"You calculated every step from the beginning. In-laws, eunuchs… you used them, while simultaneously draining their strength for your own use," Xue Feiyan said with a smile. "You used Guo Shangzhong to eliminate Deng Qinyao's power in the court, rescuing the talented men among them while dragging more of Guo Shangzhong's own faction into the mess."
"When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman wins." Xue Liulan opened his palm, studying the lines. "If not for this, with the Dengs, the Murongs, and Guo Shangzhong… the dynasty would never truly be in the hands of the Xue family."
He clenched his fist.
"The Deng family won't just sit and wait for death," Xue Feiyan said after a moment.
"You mean Deng Yan?" Xue Liulan glanced back. "I'm afraid he's too busy with his own troubles. Heaven is watching. What is owed must be paid."
Xue Feiyan looked confused, then stood. "Forget it. I'm going back."
He started to walk away.
"Seventh Brother."
Xue Feiyan turned. Xue Liulan walked up to him.
"Do you hate me?" Even at the end, hearing his brother speak so calmly, Xue Liulan couldn't help but ask.
Xue Feiyan looked down, then looked up with a frank smile. "It's just a loss. And I didn't lose the empire to an outsider. Why should I hate you?"
"No matter what, I will keep our promise."
"We can fight, but we will never kill each other," Xue Feiyan finished for him. He held out his hand.
Xue Liulan struck it with his own, and they clasped hands.
"Fifth Brother. I will roam the world freely. The burden of the dynasty… I leave to you."
"I will do my best to keep you safe," Xue Liulan said, staring into his brother's bright eyes.