Chapter Twenty-Two

It began to rain in the middle of the night.

It was a light, drizzling rain, persistent and patient. At first, it merely felt damp against their clothes, but gradually, the chill seeped into their skin and burrowed into their marrow, turning into countless invisible, intangible needles that pricked at every joint in their bones.

Old Three couldn't help but ask, "Perhaps we should wait until tomorrow..."

"If the Imperial Princess develops a fever, tonight is a matter of life and death," Oldest said sternly. "We absolutely cannot leave tonight."

"But this rain, it just goes on and on," Old Two murmured, "it’s unbearable."

"If something happens to the Imperial Princess, we will be buried with her. Is that bearable?"

Old Two and Old Three were stunned. Being buried with a deceased royal was a custom of the Liao, not theirs! It shouldn't be their fate! They had sat here with their eldest brother, ostensibly to pray, but they hadn't truly contemplated the prospect of dying for a princess. They had just been eating well, staying warm, and shouting slogans from the sidelines. How had they reached the precipice? How had they arrived at this point?

Both of them shuddered simultaneously, and then they began to tremble uncontrollably—their noses, their teeth, their chins, all shaking in unison.

"Imperial Princess, Imperial Princess!" The rainwater soaked their faces, mingling with tears and snot as they wailed, "May the Medicine Master Lapis Lazuli Light Tathagata be above! May the Bodhisattva of Sunlight be above! May the Bodhisattva of Moonlight be above!"

They recited a sutra they had heard their mothers chant at home, then another they had heard from their grandmothers. Finally, unable to continue, Old Two choked out through his sobs, "Our hearts are sincere enough!"

"Not sincere enough, not sincere enough!" Zhao Yan gritted his teeth. "We haven't even cut our hair!"

They would cut it! First their hair, then their arms; if the Imperial Princess still didn't wake, they’d see who would be the first to cut their own face!

"Gods and Buddhas above!" Zhao Yan shouted, grabbed his short blade, and hacked fiercely at his own topknot!

This story was somewhat miraculous, and while the expression of those hearing it was often one of confusion, Zhao Yan was immensely proud.

"It was precisely because I cut my hair!" He proudly pointed to his half-shaven head. "The Imperial Princess woke up!"

Though the hairstyle was bizarre, given its history, it became not only proof of Zhao the Fourth's loyalty and righteousness but also a testament to the loyalty of the entire Zhao Liangsi family. It was said that later, the children of his house were all required to wear this half-shaven head until they reached the age to bind their hair. The children thought it was hideous, but being ugly was nothing compared to following in the footsteps of the Imperial Princess!

Eventually, the other two families followed suit, until one day, Zhao Luming suddenly noticed that the little eunuchs around her were also shaving half their heads, and she was struck by a sudden, horrified realization: "Did we lose a battle?!"

Without warning, the rain stopped.

Under the eaves in front of the rear hall, the Imperial Princess, wrapped in a thick cloak, was standing there.

As dawn broke, the Lingying Palace, washed by the rain, seemed to be shrouded in a thin, bluish-purple mist, hiding everything within its veil. Only that figure in the silver-gray cloak stood clear and bright upon the steps, like a white deer, head held high, surveying its domain.

"I was drifting in a stupor from my injury," she looked toward them, "but I heard your prayers and woke up."

Zhao Yan’s hot tears fell instantly, and Old Two and Old Three were already sobbing aloud.

"However," she said, "this is, after all, the Shenxiao Palace."

The three "tall nuts" stopped their crying, looking at her with confusion, so she had to make herself clearer.

"I will teach you some of the Shenxiao sect’s scriptures, and you must learn them carefully," she said. "For instance, when I suffer such an affliction, you should invite the Moonlight Great Virtue, Great Brilliance, Great Accomplishment, and Great Stability to descend their energy into the talisman, rather than calling upon the Bodhisattva of Moonlight!"

The wars between Buddhism and Taoism were one thing; most were limited to verbal sparring, each side fabricating new scriptures to deride the other’s deities—but the religious wars of foreigners were truly formidable! They could fight until rivers of blood flowed over whether to pray with two fingers or three!

The faces of the three men flushed red with shame. When they were sent back to their rooms to take hot baths, drink ginger soup, change into dry clothes, and lie under their blankets, they still sneezed occasionally, lamenting, "Why did we spend all that time calling on the Buddhist Bodhisattvas!"

Perhaps next time they shouldn't call out loud, but whisper?

They had all caught colds, but their hearts were warm. They felt this night had been worth it. They had been pushed onto the Imperial Princess’s boat by their families, but now, they had gone a step further and performed a great service for her! As long as this merit remained, they would always have a seat at the table!

Now that the Imperial Princess was surrounded by a much smaller number of eunuchs and palace maids, and the dishes on the table were far fewer, everyone felt ashamed, wiping away tears in secret.

"We didn't notice last night," Jilan choked out, "how a few thieves made off with several bags of mountain goods, and the soup the Imperial Princess likes best was scorched."

She took a sip of the charred-tasting soup, then another. "It's delicious."

The young maids wept even harder.

"Do not cry for now," she said. "Where is the Nanzheng County Magistrate?"

In the Nanzheng County office, Magistrate Liu Jingwang had already finished crying.

He had first calmly divided his family property. The farmland didn't need dividing; it would likely be confiscated anyway. Though there wasn't much money, there were a few bolts of fabric. He told his wife to take the money and the children back to her maiden home, and they had left early in a carriage, sobbing. His elderly parents would have to be cared for by his younger brother; the fabric would be left for him. He finished packing the remaining belongings, traded them to a coffin shop for credit, and had a thin, ready-made coffin delivered to his home. He even took a damp cloth and meticulously wiped down the coffin, crying as he did so.

He was crying for his own future, of course, but as he wept, he felt he deserved the punishment. What was going on with the Wang family? How could he not have known? When Wang Chuanyun’s father and grandfather had submitted petitions, begging him again and again to bring out the land deeds and grant them justice, what had he done? He had hidden away to drink, sighing, slamming the table, and scolding his wife and children. When the eunuchs from the Western City Office came, he had meekly obeyed every arrogant order they gave. After ten years of hard study, he had ended up as nothing more than a lackey for the eunuchs. He deserved to die!

Liu Jingwang finished crying, feeling as calm as if he had drunk a pot of wine. Yet, a sense of injustice still burned in his heart, a desire to shout it out so the world would know that while he was a corrupt official, the true culprit was Li Yan! These eunuchs had no regard for the law! A casual word from the Emperor, once it fell into their hands, became a golden decree, an iron law! With that, they could go anywhere and force the local prefects and magistrates to bow their heads; they could go anywhere and force the common people to lose everything!

If he couldn't shout it to the county officials, he would shout it to the Emperor in the highest heaven!

And so he began to write!

When Yuwen Shizhong arrived, he found the meek magistrate furiously writing, pouring out his grievances.

"Though I deserve to die," Liu Jingwang gritted his teeth, "I cannot let that dog of a eunuch live!"

The former reader picked up the memorial, read it for a moment, and then set it down lightly.

"You may deserve to die, but he will not."

"Li Yan has seized land and harmed the people, inciting a rebellion that led to the Imperial Princess’s injury, and now her life is uncertain," Liu Jingwang said. "How can the Emperor not punish him?"

"The affairs of the palace are a great taboo. Who are you to inquire about the Imperial Princess’s condition?"

"My lord..."

Yuwen Shizhong’s voice was calm. "Just write that the Imperial Princess is feeling unwell."

"If, if I write it that way, wouldn't Li Yan’s crimes..."

"Just state that Li Yan has harmed the people and damaged the Emperor’s affinity with the immortals."

Affinity with the immortals? What affinity? Liu Jingwang was bewildered. Such a grave event had occurred in Xingyuan Prefecture, bordering on a full-scale rebellion! To merely state, in such a lackluster way, that Li Yan had harmed the people—what kind of logic was that?

Suddenly, a minor official ran in. "My lords! The Imperial Princess has awakened and is out of danger!"

Liu Jingwang felt as if he had suddenly come back to life. He looked at the Transport Commissioner and noticed the dark circles under his eyes.

The Imperial Princess’s complexion was still pale, but her spirit was much improved. She had not yet reached the age of adulthood, and there in the Lingying Palace, she didn't even have the curtains drawn. She sat in a chair cushioned with bedding, surrounded by a group of eunuchs and young maids, smiling as she looked down at the local officials who, with the exception of Yuwen Shizhong, were sitting on pins and needles.

"This was my personal cultivation. To have disturbed you all is my fault."

The local officials immediately stood up; none dared to accept her words.

She continued, "In my high fever, I had a dream. An immortal gave me guidance, revealing that the three disasters, four evils, six harms, and seven injuries were all tests from the Divine Lord. I was praying for the Emperor, my father. If my heart had not been sincere and respectful, I should have died in this trial."

The Magistrate and the County Sheriff pondered this. Just as the Magistrate raised his sleeve to wipe away his tears, the Sheriff suddenly knelt.

"I am but a humble practitioner," the Imperial Princess said kindly, "I should not receive such a grand gesture from a Sheriff."

The Sheriff struck his head against the floor three times. "The Imperial Princess deserves it!"

The Magistrate also bowed deeply. "From now on, whatever the Imperial Princess commands, we shall never refuse!"

They were moved to tears, and inspired by them, the other officials followed suit, wiping their eyes.

After such a disaster, others might have found a way out, but the Magistrate and the Sheriff had not. The former was the parent-official of Nanzheng, the latter in charge of law and order. The two of them, along with the Taoist official who had sent Wang Chuanyun to the temple, were all in the same boat, facing the biggest disaster. But now that the Imperial Princess was safe and had publicly declared the assassination attempt a test from the immortals, the nature of the event had changed. It meant the Imperial Princess intended to minimize the incident, helping them to patch up and cover up the entire affair.

The Imperial Princess was a noble from the clouds; they were but dust! This was a debt of gratitude they could never repay in a lifetime! From this day forward, as long as the Imperial Princess was in Nanzheng, they would serve her with their lives—unless it was a crime like treason that would result in the extermination of their families. But then again, the Imperial Princess was just a little girl; what evil intentions could she have?

"I did not mean to trouble you all," the Imperial Princess said suddenly, "but there is indeed a difficult matter..."

The Sheriff, unable to help himself, spoke before the Magistrate. "What are your commands, Imperial Princess?!"

The pale little girl, whose skin was almost devoid of color, frowned slightly. "During the two days I was unconscious, many people came and went inside and outside the Lingying Palace."

This was easy to answer; those who had left would surely return upon hearing that the Imperial Princess had awakened and would resume their duties—but the Sheriff didn't say this, because the Imperial Princess seemed to fear he wouldn't grasp the subtext, and asked again.

She appeared very weak, but her eyes were coldly bright. "My lords, how should I deal with this matter?"