“If the young prince were taken away by the Emperor and Empress at this critical juncture, no one would dare to say anything. But then, wouldn’t the prince be the Emperor and Empress’s son?” The maid whispered in Consort Bai’s ear. “In our Southern Liang, concubines without children are forced to be buried alive with the emperor.”
“But Jing’er is indeed my son,” Consort Bai said, shaking her head as she held her cup in her delicate hand.
“But Your Highness, have you considered this?” the maid added, “Perhaps the Emperor and Empress do not wish for His Highness to have two mothers.”
Clatter—the cup fell to the ground. The maid looked at the shocked Consort Bai and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Chapter 60 Unwavering Love
Inside the main hall, Li Jing, dressed in court robes hastily made overnight, sat somewhat fearfully on the dragon throne. Since he had not yet offered sacrifices to Heaven and the ancestral temples, he could not wear the twelve-tassel crown, so he had nine-tassel crowns made for the crown prince to dangle before his forehead. A golden silk curtain hung before the emperor and empress, and the hall was deathly still.
According to the laws of the Southern Liang Dynasty, the Three Masters, the Three Dukes, and officials of the first rank and above were required to stay in the palace for three days to observe mourning. Because of his noble title, Song Yanji was also required to stay in the palace in plain clothes for three days along with other dukes and marquises.
After the mourning period is over, the list of those to be buried alive with the deceased will be compiled.
Song Yansi knelt in the spirit hall, his hands resting lightly on his knees. He did not move except for breakfast and dinner. His eyes were fixed on the dark marble in front of him. After a long time, he resolutely got up.
The wind outside the palace was blowing fiercely, the winter night was bitterly cold, the entire imperial city was draped in white mourning, and the strong wind billowed his robes.
"Lord Marquis, where are you going?" The eunuch saw him come out and quickly rubbed his frozen hands before rushing to greet him.
"Where is Gu Xiuhua?" Song Yansi asked directly.
The eunuch was taken aback, his eyes darting around quickly before he understood. Gu Xiuhua was exceptionally beautiful and childless. He figured the Marquis must be up to something. He also thought Gu Sijun was lucky; if he served her well, she might escape death, or even be taken away and kept as a plaything. It was much better than hanging herself or dying in the cold palace. He narrowed his eyes and smiled, "She's in the Hall of Longing."
Seeing that Song Yansi remained silent, the little eunuch quickly bowed and stepped forward, "How about I take you there, my lord?"
Footsteps echoed softly on the palace path. Song Yansi kept his head down. The little eunuch walked for a while, then his eyes darted around. "Even in a palace full of beauties, Gu Xiuhua is exceptionally outstanding."
He deliberately tried to curry favor with Song Yansi, and singled out Gu Sijun's appearance to talk to him.
"You talk a lot, aren't you afraid of having your tongue cut out?" Song Yansi said calmly, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger.
"Your Majesty, rest assured, this servant always speaks only what should be said and never utters a word about what shouldn't be said." The little eunuch was startled, unsure of what the king was up to, so he could only bite the bullet and say, "If Your Majesty is displeased, this servant will simply forget what just happened."
"What's your name?" Song Yanji knew that this was probably not a powerful eunuch. He stopped in his tracks. This eunuch was trying to do him a favor to climb the ranks. He really thought of him as someone easy to use.
When the young eunuch saw him stop, he knew he was in trouble. He quickly bowed his head and apologized, then slapped himself hard several times. "It was my fault for talking too much, Your Highness, please don't be angry."
"I was merely asking for your name, why are you so afraid?" Song Yansi said with a smile, looking at his twirling fingertips.
How could he not be afraid! The little eunuch gritted his teeth, stopped lighting the lantern, and knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly. After a long while, seeing that he still didn't move, he resigned himself to his fate. He knelt on the ground, trembling, and said, "This servant's surname is Zhang, and my given name is Xian Gui. I beg Your Majesty to forgive this servant."
Zhang Xiangui. Song Yanji was startled when he heard the name, then looked up. The little eunuch in front of him was kneeling on the ground, trembling like a quail. "Pick up the lantern and raise your head."
Zhang Xiangui carefully raised his head, quickly glanced at Song Yansi, and then immediately lowered it again.
Song Yansi hadn't planned to keep him alive afterward, so he hadn't looked at him closely. But now that he looked at him so carefully, apart from being young and too thin, his features really were his.
After much deliberation, Song Yansi realized that if he really got rid of Zhang Xiangui, it would inevitably create a rift between him and Jiang Yuan again. In his past life, he had been extremely loyal to Jiang Yuan, even giving his life for her. Song Yansi also thought of the scarred-faced old woman in Yunzhong City. Jiang Yuan had gone to such lengths to help him find his mother; perhaps she felt she owed him too much in his previous life.
Once Song Yansi made up his mind, he finally decided to let him off the hook, and said with a smile, "You should know what you should and shouldn't say in the future."
This is… Zhang Xiangui’s eyes lit up suddenly, and he quickly kowtowed, “This servant understands.”
"Only a smart person can climb to the position that suits them." Song Yansi slowly uttered these words, leaving the rest to his own interpretation.
Without entering the gate of longing, how can one know the bitterness of longing?
Gu Sijun, dressed in plain white, sat in the Hall of Longing, holding a jade cup in her hand filled with "Forget Worries." How to forget worries? Only by forgetting worries.
When Song Yansi went in, he saw this scene.
The maids in the palace had already been sent away, and since few were willing to serve the dying concubine, there were few who would take the initiative to do so.
A cup was filled, and she was about to drink it when a hand with distinct knuckles stopped her halfway. "Sijun, don't drink anymore."
"You really came." Gu Sijun blushed, her eyes misty with a hint of intoxication. "Zhongli, I knew you wouldn't abandon me."
"I'll find a way to get you out of here." Song Yansi held the wine cup and finally spilled the Forget-Me-Not wine on the carpet.
"Where can I go?" Gu Sijun stood up, her feet resting on the snow-white fox fur rug. She approached him step by step, just like when she used to whine to him as a child. "You don't want me anymore, where can I go?"
“Nanliang is so big. As long as you’re willing, I can let you live a good life, get married and have children. What’s wrong with that?” Song Yansi stared at her intently, his exquisite makeup unable to conceal his weariness.
"Give birth?" Xie Sijun laughed until tears almost came out. "This harem is a battlefield for women. I've survived and come this far by all my might. Have I never had a child? Yes, I have, but I couldn't protect that poor child." Her hand gently traced her abdomen, and there was a hint of heartbreak in Gu Sijun's eyes. "I will never have children again."
Standing in the candlelight, the hall was illuminated as if it were daytime. Through Gu Sijun's face, he saw that bright woman again. She looked just like Gu Sijun, but with an added touch of cheerfulness and radiance.
As a child, he was kidnapped by bandits and taken to a mountain temple. Just as he was about to die, she and Gu Sijun rushed inside, inadvertently rescuing him with a group of servants, but in doing so, they offended the bandits. On their way back to the city, they stayed overnight at a civilian's house, but were ambushed by bandits in the middle of the night. All the servants were killed, and they had no choice but to escape through the window. On the way, she twisted her ankle. Flames rose outside the door, and footsteps grew closer. Gu Sijun was outside the window, while the two of them were inside. Time was of the essence; only one of them could escape. At that moment, he truly experienced despair once again. But in the nick of time, Gu Sijun, clinging to the windowsill, resolutely reached out her hand to him. This pull saved him, but also abandoned her own sister.
The wind whistled past his ears, and all he could hear were her cries and pleas for mercy drifting from afar. The man's teasing and the woman's voice grew fainter and fainter. He and Gu Sijun hid in the bushes, watching from afar as the thick smoke billowed into the sky and burned the guesthouse to the ground.
Gu Sijun's hands were so small, tightly gripping his fingertips, her body trembling violently. In the days that followed, he saw Gu Sijun cry many times, gently, with a wronged expression, but on that day, she didn't shed a single tear. When she reached out her hand to him, it was so resolute, without even glancing at her sister.
He didn't know what had happened in the Gu family, or what had happened between them. He only knew that they had buried that night deep in their hearts, never speaking of it. Gu Sijun, however, reminded him again and again, seemingly unintentionally yet deliberately, that she had saved him, that his life was bought with hers.
Perhaps everyone has a dark abyss in their heart, concealing many unknown filths, where droplets ferment and rot. He once tried to warm Gu Sijun with indulgent care, but she pushed him into the abyss time and time again with her actions.
Looking at the tears welling up in Gu Sijun's eyes, Song Yansi said calmly, "Sijun, you chose this path. I promised you that I would find you a fine man, and that you would live a better life than most women, but you wouldn't listen. Now, I'm giving you one last chance."
"Song Yansi, you change your mind so quickly. If I hadn't saved you back then, you would have died long ago!" Gu Sijun chuckled, wiping away tears from the corners of her eyes with her sleeve. "Killing Yingqu was wrong of me, but what would you have done if I hadn't killed her? If she had just said that to Madam Song, would you have been able to leave the Song residence alive? Afterwards, you acted like a saint and blamed me for everything."
Song Yansi pursed his lips, his eyes cooling down. "She is my sister, a sibling from the same mother."
“But she was raised in Madam Song’s care.” Gu Sijun didn’t seem to think she had done anything wrong.
"Then you can kill my sister!" Song Yansi finally lost his temper, smashing the wine glass on the ground. His eyes were red as he said hatefully, "Do you know that my mother is gone, and I only have that one blood relative left? Isn't she living cautiously? You've known her for years, how could she tell that woman, given her personality!"
"How do you know she can't?" Gu Sijun retorted sharply, her hair slightly disheveled and her hairpins swaying. "Don't you know that sisters are the most untrustworthy? They say one thing to your face and another behind your back, wishing they could take everything from you! But everyone else thinks they're perfect!"
Her blood was cold, and her heart was twisted; he had known all along, hadn't he? Song Yansi laughed angrily, "If I hadn't stopped you back then, would you have killed Rong An as well!"
"Yes!" Gu Sijun raised her head, her dark eyes, like black grapes, unable to conceal their darkness.
Song Yansi sneered, "Even if she didn't hear anything?"
“Even if she didn’t hear anything!” Gu Sijun walked up to him, reached out and grabbed his sleeve. Her voice softened suddenly as she whispered, “Brother Zhongli, you should have known my temper from the very beginning.”
"Fine! Excellent!" Song Yansi sneered and brushed her arm away. "Since Gu Xiuhua doesn't appreciate it, then I've come all this way for nothing!"
After saying that, he turned and left without looking back.
"Song Yansi! Stand still! Don't you want to know the Jiang family's secret?!" Gu Sijun's chest heaved violently as she strode forward and shouted at his retreating back. This was a secret she had painstakingly pieced together over the years, a colossal secret. When she learned it, she was incredibly excited and eager to tell Song Yansi immediately. She knew how much regret and remorse he would feel if he knew. "Do you know, the Jiang family…"
"Shut up!" Before Gu Sijun could finish speaking, Song Yansi turned around abruptly, grabbed her neck quickly, and pulled her back a few steps with force. His voice was as cold as ice in the depths of winter, and his eyes were devoid of any human warmth. "Gu Sijun, do you really think I wouldn't dare to kill you?"
Gu Sijun was forced against the stone pillar by his neck. The air in her lungs felt thin. She stared intently at Song Yansi, and he squeezed out each word from between his teeth, "I don't care what you know, swallow it all back. If you dare to say even one word, I won't let you go." He suddenly increased the pressure on her. "Sijun, you should know my temper."
Gu Sijun gripped his fingers tightly, her usually fair skin flushed red, her face full of disbelief, "You knew all that?"
"So what if it is?" Song Yansi finally let go, flicking his sleeve with some disgust as he looked at her.
"Ha, hahahaha." Gu Sijun's throat burned with pain as she coughed and laughed, tears streaming down her face. She desperately tugged at Song Yansi's sleeve, "Why! Why! How could you know! You clearly knew!"
He looked at Gu Sijun, who was becoming increasingly frantic, pried open her tightly clenched fingers, and calmly said, "She is my wife."
The laughter stopped abruptly. Gu Sijun stared at him in disbelief, shaking her head and staggering two steps before collapsing to the ground, scattering her pearl hairpins everywhere. The smile on her face vanished. "So that's how it is, so that's how it is!"
“You always say we’re the same kind of people, but Sijun, I’m different from you.” In this life, he wanted to live uprightly in the sunlight, instead of becoming like them, hiding in dark corners, pitiful like a dirty rat. He turned to leave, “I’m leaving. Take care of yourself.”
"Zhong Li." Gu Sijun's voice came from behind, unusually cold. "There is no secret that can be hidden forever. If I know it, you know it, then others will definitely know it too. If that day really comes, how will you deal with yourselves?"
Song Yansi stood there for a long time before saying, "That day will never come."
Gu Sijun sat on the fox fur rug, watching Song Yansi's receding figure. His spine was so straight, his back so upright, yet he carried a burden heavy enough to crush that uprightness. For a moment, she felt that Song Yansi was somewhat pathetic.
Gu Sijun parted her lips slightly, her voice so low that only she could hear it, "Song Yansi, you live like a joke."
As Song Yansi stepped out of the palace gate, Zhang Xiangui was huddled in a corner, wringing his hands. When he saw Song Yansi come out, he tried to find something on his face, but he couldn't see anything. So he bent down and carried a lantern to lead him to the mourning hall. No matter what happened, whether Gu Xiuhua was willing to stay with him or not, he had to keep vigil over the spirit.
Halfway there, Zhang Xiangui heard the panicked shouts of palace servants not far away. He stopped and followed the sound. The Xiangsi Palace, which had been fine just moments before, was now engulfed in flames, and the magnificent palace was tightly wrapped and surrounded by fire dragons.
"Let's go." Song Yansi closed his eyes slightly, but finally spoke.
Zhang Xiangui glanced at him quickly, then bent even lower, as if he wanted to grow into the ground.
Gu Sijun leaned against the firelight, calmly watching the various expressions of the palace servants outside the hall. In truth, wasn't she also a joke? Wangyou was held in her arms and drunk, and their lives were intertwined in the fire, and buried in the fire.
Only after entering the gate of longing do you realize the bitterness of longing.
She truly loved him, but her life was too dark, so cold that he wanted to escape, personally erasing all the initial affection between them. Gu Sijun crossed her arms as the fire engulfed the hall, turning the snow-white fox fur carpet to ashes.
Chapter 61 Above Ten Thousand People
When the news of Gu Sijun's death in the Hall of Longing reached the Emperor and Empress, she couldn't help but sigh, "I never imagined that Gu Xiuhua was so devoted. It was no wonder His Majesty loved her so much." The Emperor and Empress sat in the hall, the smoke from a half-lit incense stick swirling around them. Around them were the concubines, their brows furrowed with worry. Weren't they all so eager to fight and compete? Then they might as well go down and join him! The Emperor and Empress said calmly, "It is your blessing to be able to go with His Majesty."
"What Your Majesty and Empress say is very true," Consort Bai said, serving tea. "Even if I wanted to accompany Your Majesty, I wouldn't have the opportunity."
The Emperor and Empress's eyes flickered slightly. They smiled and nodded without saying a word. The tea in their hands was slightly warm; it was her favorite Silver Mountain White Mist. She took a small sip.
The next day, the Emperor and Empress fell ill due to missing His Majesty and did not leave the palace.
On the third day, the inner palace issued the first posthumous decree for the concubines to be buried alive with the emperor. Lady Cao of Sili was given the posthumous title of Gongyi; Lady Wang of Yun Jing'e was given the posthumous title of Huian; Lady Huang of Li Ronghua was given the posthumous title of Zhenhui; Lady Xiao of Cheng Chongyi was given the posthumous title of Gongding... Dozens of concubines, both with and without titles, were buried alive with the emperor. However, the few who served tea with Consort Bai that day were not included in this decree.
Just after 9 AM, the second imperial edict was issued. The late emperor's benevolence extended to the people, and he would not bear to burden them with heavy labor. Therefore, the mausoleum should be built in a simple and frugal manner, and a Buddhist hall should be built inside, where virtuous and faithful people may reside, so that blessings may be proclaimed forever.
Surprisingly, some of the concubines were spared from being buried alive with the emperor.
"Let me go! You bunch of damned slaves, do you even know who I am?! I am Lady Si Li!" Cao Liniang struggled desperately, her hair disheveled, her eyes bloodshot as she screamed incessantly, "I have given birth to a princess! I refuse to be buried alive with her! I refuse to be buried alive with her!"
"Grand Eunuch." A young eunuch with an unfamiliar face quickly walked to Zhang Rang's side, bowed, and whispered to Lady Sili, "Just now, Lord Cao and the Minister of the Capital conveyed a message, saying that His Majesty likes Lady Sili's singing the most, and we must not let her ruin her voice when she passes away."
Zhang Rang's eyes flashed, and he nodded and waved to summon two eunuchs who were serving the concubines as they left. "Go, don't let Lady Sili get a sore throat, or it would be a sin."
Lady Si Li reached out and grabbed the eunuch's clothes, screaming incessantly, her voice, once sweet and gentle, now hoarse, "You damned servants! You..."
Before she could finish speaking, her mouth was quickly pried open, and a wad of plain white linen was forcefully stuffed into her throat. Tears welled in her eyes as she desperately shook her head.
Outside the palace gates, Lord Cao could no longer bear to watch. "Li Niang, don't blame your father. Go in peace."
"Alas, Madam Sili was out of her mind, which is why she had such inappropriate thoughts. Now, this is probably the best way out." Seeing that she had been silenced, Xie Jiali felt a little relieved, withdrew his gaze, and reached out his hand, saying, "My lord, let's go back."
"I wonder what my unfilial son is like..."
"My father will do his best to handle the matter concerning Lord Dongguan." Xie Jiali did not speak definitively, but he also left some room for maneuver. "If it is absolutely necessary, we will not implicate the Cao family."
"Then I'll have to trouble Grand Tutor and my nephew." Old Master Cao glanced at the desolate hall behind him and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The women's cries echoed through the palace. In the main hall, small wooden beds were placed, and young women in the prime of their lives were forced to stand on them, their heads bound with three-foot-long white silk ribbons.