Piercing the Sun

Inside Jinluan Hall, silence reigned. On any other day, someone would likely have jumped out to rebuke his insolence the moment Xu Yuan's voice fell. Submitting a memorial before the opening court rites had even been chanted was an overstepping of state protocol, an insult to supreme authority. Yet today, the assembled ministers in robes of varied hues almost all maintained the exact same demeanor: Eyes lowered, hands tucked into sleeves, standing in motionless silence. Yet this silence was not born of fear. Reverence for imperial authority was deeply rooted in their hearts. There were plenty of foolishly loyal men in court who did not fear death, and even more reformist moralists willing to wager their lives to prove their progressive resolve. But not fearing death did not mean lacking wits; both kinds knew full well that even if they wished to trade away their lives, they had to do so at the right moment to fetch a fitting price. The commotion made by the Prime Minister's third son as he forced open the Meridian Gate had been immense. Any minister with even moderate cultivation could sense it, and those whose cultivation was too low to notice had already been tipped off via voice transmission. Now that he was committing another act of usurpation, they had to see what this Xu Yuan truly intended to do today. *Tap.* *Tap.* Footsteps echoed. According to the court rites of Great Yan, memorials presented before the court were to be delivered by the Directorate of Ceremonies. But with no one moving right now, Xu Yuan had no choice but to carry it up and present it to the Crown Prince with his own hands. The first rays of dawn were swallowed by rolling dark clouds, leaving only scattered puddles reflecting the jade pavilions. Somber light diffused through the hall doors, rendering the vast hall of Fengtian Hall as suffocating and oppressive as an enormous watery dungeon. Those permitted entry into these deep palace halls were all prominent figures whose every word carried immense weight outside, capable of deciding life and death for tens of thousands. Among them might be mediocrities who had crept in relying on pedigree, sycophancy, or sheer blind fortune, but anyone who had not yet been eliminated in political struggles by this point was certainly not lacking in political acumen. Each was secretly speculating on the third son of the Prime Minister's purpose in attending court today. A diplomatic mission to the Northern Border, feigning death after an assassination attempt on the journey back, covertly pulling the strings to bring about the Western Desert incident, and then returning to the capital aboard the Prime Minister's mobile palace—this had already laid his identity bare before the outside world. Yet even so, most people still assessed him as nothing more than a second Xu Chang'an, or perhaps a Xu Changge who knew how to compromise. His future might hold promise, but so long as Xu Yinhe drew breath, he was at most an heir to the Prime Minister's Manor. He possessed power, but it had to operate under the Prime Minister's oversight. This was the realm's consensus. Whether under the rule of sects or an imperial dynasty, domestic traitors were always the hardest to guard against. Patricide, fratricide, kin turning on kin, betraying teachers and destroying ancestors—the past held all too many precedents. Power was ruthless. Such was true of the current Emperor, and such should be true of the Prime Minister. This being the case, what Xu Yuan could accomplish was extremely limited. Rumors had it that the Marquis of Zhenxi's Manor should have fallen apart a month ago, and was only kept artificially clinging to life through the support of the Prime Minister's Manor. Over recent days, matters there had been fermenting in the shadows. Various factions had clashed and entangled themselves there, with localized warfare even breaking out. For Xu Yuan to commit so many breaches of protocol today was likely to serve as a warning to others, setting the tone on behalf of the Prime Minister's Manor. Yet surely this was merely the Prime Minister's Manor putting on a final show of defiance before yielding. The Western Desert upheaval had revealed the gaping vulnerabilities of the Marquis of Zhenxi's Manor to the entire realm, instantly reducing this colossus, which had guarded the frontiers for decades, to meat on the chopping block. Having placed its bets first and won the gamble, the Prime Minister's Manor had gorged itself to its heart's content in Xize Province over the past month, taking in the lion's share of the legacy left by the Zhenxi Manor's fall. Yet this was a banquet meant for the whole realm! If they insisted on remaining unyielding and refused to allow others a share of the feast, the localized clashes of arms were very likely to escalate into a war engulfing the entire realm! Therefore, the Prime Minister's Manor would inevitably compromise. The end of the ranks of officials was no more than twenty zhang from the Crown Prince's low table beneath the golden dais. Xu Yuan walked neither quickly nor slowly, cutting through the crowd. Gradually, the four characters on the crimson cover of the memorial came into the officials' view. Time stopped. Breaths hitched. How dared Xu Yinhe?! How dared Xu Changtian?! *Gulp.* The faint rustle of dry throats swallowing sounded across the hall. Sharp intakes of breath began spreading through the court. As the emotion known as sheer horror rippled outward, the assembled officials suddenly realized they seemed to have been mistaken—grievously, absurdly mistaken. The authority that the Prime Minister had granted this son was far greater than anyone had imagined. Those in the highest positions still showed no emotion, but the lower-ranking officials—whether aligned with the imperial faction or the chancellor's—felt their mouths run dry as their eyes darted back and forth, gauging the expressions around them. To dare present such a memorial at this critical juncture meant there had to be a way to force it through. At the very moment they had entered this hall, certain events outside must already be quietly unfolding. Was it the Imperial Guard? Or the City Defense Bureau? Or perhaps certain figures within the palace? While the shock was still spreading, Xu Yuan had already halted before the Crown Prince with steady steps. Without any unnecessary movement, and without voicing a single word of formal remonstrance, he merely presented that crimson memorial with solemn dignity onto the low table. The eyes of every person in the hall converged upon it at that moment. In this silence where even breathing could be heard: "Presumably Minister Xu has grave business to report. There is no need to dwell upon this breach of etiquette." Meeting his gaze for an instant, Li Yucheng murmured these words. Lowering his eyelids, he picked up the memorial, the crisp rustle of flipping paper echoing clearly. Within a few breaths, Li Yucheng finished reading the memorial. Laying it open upon the desk, he fell into deep contemplation, silent. The sole rustle in the hall returned to dead silence, yet restlessness began to spread in everyone's heart. None knew where the world would head following this memorial, but today might well be the most critical day of their past several decades—and the next several decades to come. The moment the Crown Prince voiced a rebuttal, everyone would have to declare their allegiance. This was a life-or-death gamble where neutrality did not exist. Yet the scene that unfolded next left them dumbfounded. The Crown Prince, draped in robes adorned with golden pythons and glazed jade... actually... actually reached out toward the gilded imperial seal at this very moment! *** The mountain peak was vast, its jade halls and pavilions veiled in dreamlike mists. Across the hill behind Kunning Palace bloomed vast expanses of flowers. Even though late autumn had arrived, the sea of blossoms still blanketed the mountain slopes. Alas, the sky was somber and the misty rain hung dense, dulling the brilliant splendor of former days into something resembling an ink-wash landscape painting by a master, within which a single fleck of bright crimson stood out like the vivid pupil of an inked dragon. A woman walked alone across this mountain of flowers. Her crimson cloak billowed, accentuating her tall, shapely figure. Her long, black hair hung unbound, flowing to her waist as she made her way through the pathless sea of flowers toward the pavilion atop the slope. By the time Li Qingyan reached the crest, many were already waiting in silence. Flocks of palace maids knelt in circles among the flowers surrounding the pavilion, clustering like stars around the moon to honor the woman inside. The Empress of Great Yan, the Mother of the Realm, and her birth mother. Time was a blade, leaving indelible marks upon the woman's face, yet this did not diminish her beauty. Crowned with a jade-glazed green phoenix headdress, dressed in a robe of true crimson with broad sleeves, and draped in a gilded dragon-and-phoenix stole that proclaimed her noble status, her demeanor was dignified yet imposing. Even the dreary sky seemed lent a touch of color by her presence. Li Qingyan did not like this imperial mother. There were many reasons, but in the end, it was likely an innate clash of temperaments that made her uncomfortable. Just like now. The Empress's slender eyes swept over, and upon seeing the plain clothes beneath the crimson cloak, her exquisite, poised brows involuntarily knitted in a faint squint, as though displeased by the woman's casual attire before the pavilion. She had stayed in the Northern Border since childhood, returning to the capital only a handful of times, and every time, this mother of hers made her feel uncomfortable. And today, this mother of hers remained as she had always been, still fond of keeping everything within her grasp under tight control, even down to trifles like clothing. With this thought, Li Qingyan solemnly bowed her head to pay her respects: "Imperial Mother." No matter how much she disliked her, the person before her was her birth mother after all. Moreover, imperial offspring returning to the palace were supposed to pay their respects to the Empress first thing. She had been back in the capital for two months already; to come only today was already far too late. Seated within the elegant pavilion, the Empress looked down at her daughter bowing before the structure, her voice flat: "You have been back in the capital for two months. This Palace has missed you deeply, but it seems you, Wuyuan, had no wish to see this Palace." Li Qingyan kept her eyes lowered, her voice pleasantly raspy: "In reply to Imperial Mother: your daughter contracted an illness on the battlefield. I feared that presumptuously paying my respects might endanger Your Imperial Majesty's health." "How thoughtful." The Empress's voice betrayed neither pleasure nor anger. Looking down at the woman without bidding her rise, she asked, "This Palace heard that the Crown Prince went to see you, and more than once." Li Qingyan maintained her usual succinct and respectful tone: "Yes, Imperial Brother came looking for me." "You did not see him?" "I did not." "Why not?" "Plagued by illness, it was inconvenient to see him." "......" The wind atop the peak was somewhat chilly, scattering a few sparse drops of fine rain and stirring waves across the sea of blossoms like ripples through wheat. The Empress leaned back gently against the chair and drew a deep breath, her calm voice laced with a sliver of chill: "Before you left for the Northern Border, this Palace gave you clear instructions: that son of a palace maid went to the north likely seeking military power. If possible, this Palace did not wish to see him return to the capital alive. If you did not kill him, he would find a way to kill you. You treated my words as wind passing your ears, and what is the outcome now? He has returned leading a hundred thousand armored troops, prominent ministers of the court have been swept into his fold, and even your Imperial Father is contemplating replacing the legitimate heir! You should know how venomous that maidservant's son is at heart, and you should know what fate awaits you as the Crown Prince's full sister should he gain power." "......" Li Qingyan remained silent. Seeing this, the Empress let out a soft breath and instructed with earnest gravity: "Qingyan, it is not yet too late. I will summon your full brother here, and today you two siblings shall properly discuss within Kunning Palace how to deal with that palace maid's son—" "Are you afraid?" "......" The cool, pleasantly raspy voice was very soft, yet it brought the Empress's words to an abrupt halt. In the Empress's eyes flickered astonishment and incomprehension. For an instant, she even doubted her own ears, but soon, that voice spoke again: "Since you did what you did to Li Zhaoyuan and his mother back then, you shouldn't be afraid now, Imperial Mother. Or you should have cut the grass and pulled up the roots entirely from the very beginning." As Li Qingyan spoke, she rose from the somewhat muddy flowerbed, brushed the rain and dew from her cloak, and looked directly into the eyes of the Empress of Great Yan. To be fair, what this birth mother of hers had said was entirely correct—if one stood from the Crown Prince's perspective. But why did she have to stand from the Crown Prince's perspective? The Empress's eyes widened slightly, her lips parting: "You—" "Imperial Mother." Li Qingyan nonchalantly cut the Empress off, saying softly, "Qingyan does not care for court politics. I care only about who can eradicate the sects." After a brief daze, the Empress regained her composure. Her brows furrowed deeply as she glared at this insolent daughter, speaking with stern majesty: "The Crown Prince is your only full brother, the future sovereign of Great Yan! When you wished to lead troops back then, it was this Palace who persuaded your Imperial Father and silenced all opposition within the palace, all so you could assist your brother in ascending the imperial throne!" Li Qingyan stared at the Empress in silence for several breaths, then suddenly smiled: "Imperial Mother, you have remained dormant for twenty years. Why is it that right at this moment, your lust for power has rekindled?" The elegant pavilion abruptly fell dead silent. Faint drizzles pattered; gentle breezes whispered. The Empress's fingertips trembled slightly, her eyes narrowing halfway: "What did you say?" Li Qingyan pondered for a moment, then said with a light chuckle: "Letting me command troops was indeed your doing, but was that not for your own sake, Imperial Mother? Twenty years ago, Imperial Father returned to the capital severely injured, the Prime Minister was nowhere to be found, and the Crown Prince had newly stepped into the regent's seat. What you did while ruling from behind the curtain, Imperial Mother, Qingyan has heard a thing or two about." "......" Hearing this, the Empress's expression twitched with sudden rage. Li Qingyan paid it no mind, her tone turning solemn and grave, enunciating each word: "Imperial Mother, some things are improper for your daughter to state too plainly. But to hold sovereign power—to rule the realm as it stands today—possessing only the cunning for inner-palace intrigues is far from enough. If the Crown Prince ascends the throne, the realm will fall into chaos, and the country will cease to be a country." During that upheaval twenty years ago, the two most powerful men in court had both fallen prey to the sects' plots: the Emperor was gravely injured and near death, while the Prime Minister had mysteriously disappeared. In that power vacuum, the Empress had sought to follow in the footsteps of Wu Zhao. Alas, though the Emperor and the Prime Minister had both lost their voices at the time, Xu Yuan's mother had still been alive. She stopped her. Yet just as Li Qingyan had said, she did not truly care who ascended the imperial throne. Even if her imperial mother had actually seized supreme power during that coup twenty years ago, she would not have cared much. What she cared about was that this imperial mother of hers knew only palace intrigue and purging dissent, entirely devoid of the stature and capacity required to pacify the realm. Thinking of this, Li Qingyan exhaled softly, her clear gaze casting toward the direction of Jinluan Hall. The Empress's brow was tightly knit, seemingly on the verge of fury, but after drawing a deep breath, she still maintained her poise: "Since you have already made your decision, why did you come to see this Palace today?" "Because you are, after all, my birth mother, Imperial Mother." "This Palace wants the truth." "...Then I suppose I am waiting for someone's decision." "......" The Empress pondered for a moment, and recalling that today seemed to be the day Xu Changtian had his audience, her features darkened in an instant. She demanded in a low voice: "Wuyuan, you couldn't possibly be—" "Imperial Mother, I am Li Qingyan." Li Qingyan looked back indifferently, her long hair drifting in the wind, her gaze cool and serene. "I am indeed waiting for him, but not out of sentiment." The Empress fell quiet for a long while. Only after prolonged thought did she say in a low voice: "This Palace does not understand. I do not understand what you are waiting for, or what Xu Changtian could possibly accomplish by attending court." "That is precisely why I will not choose the Crown Prince. Neither he nor you, Imperial Mother, possess the courage and stature to shoulder the burdens of the entire realm." Standing upon the hillside, Li Qingyan gently raised her hand, pointing a slender index finger toward the direction of Jinluan Hall, and said in a faint tone: "Imperial Mother, look." "......" The Empress turned her gaze toward it in silence. Under her widening eyes, a colossal beam of light, as though piercing the sun, blasted straight through Jinluan Hall, which had stood for a thousand years!