The silence during this period felt excruciatingly long to many within the city of Di'an, and indeed across the entire realm. That night's mutiny had come far too abruptly, and it had ended just as abruptly, like a sudden descending fog that cast the once-discernible future back into chaos.
Countless people tossed and turned because of it.
Countless people grew restless and anxious because of it.
Yet just as dawn inevitably follows a long night, the confusing mist would eventually scatter. Whether the road ahead was bright remained unknown, but its direction was about to be decided.
The forty-eighth year of Jiajing, the thirteenth day of the second month. Dawn was approaching.
Specks of golden light wandered across the sky of Di'an.
Setting down the final dossier in his hands, Xu Yuan rose from behind the desk. Outside the window lattice, the night was still dense. The furnishings in the inner courtyard study remained as before, only missing a bit of the usual scent of ink, and the once-dazzling array of secret dossiers and scrolls upon the bookshelves were nowhere to be seen.
Taking down the black dragon longsword hanging on the inner wall of the study, he pushed open the door and stepped out alone. The inner courtyard lacked its former bustle. Walking outward along the path, the outer courtyard also felt rather desolate as the evacuation of personnel and supplies neared completion.
When Xu Yuan reached the front gates of the residence, he instinctively paused and looked back at this home once known as the Chancellor's Manor.
Everything was shrouded in the murky night, yet everything remained clearly visible.
"As a home, this place really is too big after all..."
Letting out an inexplicable sigh, Xu Yuan chuckled and shook his head. With the rumbling roar of the grand gates swinging open, he saw countless eyes looking forward in eager anticipation, as well as the carriage at the head of the procession... carved with a nine-clawed black dragon.
"Young Master."
"Young Master."
"Young Master."
"Young Master..."
"..."
Countless court officials of the Chancellor's faction waited quietly before the gates of the Xu Manor on this coronation eve, awaiting their new sovereign, awaiting him to lead them toward the future.
Xu Yuan looked across the faces one by one.
Some familiar faces had not come out of fear, but far more familiar faces remained here waiting silently—perhaps out of loyalty, perhaps out of self-interest, but at this moment, the reasons did not matter.
Stopping in his tracks for a breath, without a word or gesture, Xu Yuan stepped silently into the carriage representing the second emperor of Great Yan, leading the convoy behind him toward the palace city shrouded in darkness.
...
Like the most ordinary morning court over the past decades, many senior ministers gathered early at the foot of the palace city. Yet compared to the past, the officials arriving today to observe the new emperor's coronation were conspicuously higher in rank and authority. Many nobles and generals wielding actual military power had been summoned back to Di'an by the imperial princess due to the turbulent situation.
Led by Marquis Wucheng and the Vice Chancellor, the two senior ministers entrusted with the late emperor's legacy, some high-ranking members of the imperial faction who held real authority gathered in the front rank outside the Meridian Gate.
Some came from the military, others from the civil court.
Many of them were stationed away from Di'an year-round and rarely summoned back—such as the commander of the Trap Army in the northwest, or the deputy commander of the Imperial Guard responsible for the Tianhe defense line. On the night Di'an lost contact with the outside, these generals loyal to the imperial house had all followed Li Zhaoyuan's decree, bringing portions of their elite forces to rush to Di'an to defend the crown.
The relationships among these high officials varied. There were close personal friends, as well as bitter enemies divided by differing political views or personal grudges. But during this tumultuous time when the Prime Minister's Manor had staged an insurrection, these powerful imperial faction figures tacitly set aside past grievances, gathering together to exchange intelligence and political viewpoints through sound transmissions, discussing their strategies for after the empress ascended the throne today.
Aside from this group of high ministers capable of influencing the empress's decisions, the remaining court officials appeared somewhat anxious. Not positioned high enough to obtain more information, they could only speculate to predict the future situation. Most of them gathered in small groups to whisper about their unease, though their expressions remained mostly solemn.
It had snowed last night. Although the Directorate of Ceremonial had arranged for attendants to sweep the square before the Meridian Gate, a great deal of pristine white still remained.
Over a thousand court officials and representatives of the military and commoners gradually gathered as time passed. The once-silent area before the Meridian Gate gradually filled with rustling chatter, but at a certain moment, these sounds died down like falling wheat.
In their place came the sound of an advancing carriage.
"Clop... clop... clop..."
Horseshoes shattered the residual ice crystals between the seams of cyan jade pavers. The sound of rolling carriage wheels gradually approached along the central axis of Di'an known as Tian'an Long Street.
No one moved anymore, and no one spoke.
Even the core leadership of the imperial faction, led by Marquis Wucheng, stopped their conversation and looked back. At the end of their line of sight, the silhouette of a carriage engraved with a black dragon gradually appeared, along with hundreds of officials of the Chancellor's faction walking alongside it.
Arriving from the unlit south, carrying the boundless darkness behind it.
Gradually, the carriage drew close to the crowd.
"Rustle..."
Still no one spoke. Outside the Meridian Gate before dawn, hundreds of high officials silently bowed their heads and stepped to the sides, parting a path for the carriage's arrival.
Until,
it drew near the high-ranking ministers of the imperial faction standing in the center of the Meridian Gate.
A hundred zhang.
Seventy zhang.
The imperial faction leadership stared fixedly at the slowly approaching carriage. The carved black dragon's eyes seemed to devour the soul, making hearts beat faster unconsciously.
Because that represented the Chancellor of Great Yan who had dominated an entire era,
represented that man named Xu Yinhe.
Yet he should already be dead.
The person riding within this carriage at this moment was, in all likelihood, the third son of the Xu family.
Therefore,
as the pinnacle of the imperial faction, they did not need to yield,
nor could they yield!
The carriage continued forward, unhurried.
The silent night was oppressively maddening. The crisp clatter of hooves sounded at this moment like the shriek of a fierce ghost.
Fifty zhang.
Forty zhang.
Thirty zhang.
Gulp...
That was the sound of someone swallowing hard.
Some of the high ministers of the imperial faction began glancing sidelong at the people beside them.
With the cultivation of any one of them, they could easily pierce the array patterns on the carriage and peek at whether the person inside was the prime minister who held sway over the realm or the third son of the Xu family. But no one dared to do so.
Although all signs indicated that the man was dead,
what if?
...What if that man wasn't dead?
After all, there was still no definitive evidence proving he was truly dead.
"Tap..."
Someone stepped back.
The accumulated dread left behind by that man who had dominated all of Great Yan for decades made him retreat instinctively.
Next came a second, a third, a fourth...
In the end,
only Marquis Wucheng, clad in white armor and standing tall and straight, remained before the Meridian Gate.
And the black dragon carriage stopped right before him.
"Creeeak—"
The carriage door opened. A cloud-patterned boot stepped out. When that similar countenance was revealed, many people's hearts leaped into their throats, but upon seeing clearly, they all unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief, then felt chagrined by their own cowardice.
Xu Yuan walked over at an unhurried pace and came to a stop to the right of Marquis Wucheng.
One zhang apart.
Marquis Wucheng looked calmly at this chief culprit who had ignited internal strife and killed the crown prince, saying in an even tone:
"You've come."
Xu Yuan glanced across the surrounding ministers of the imperial faction, his gaze coming to rest upon the empty Meridian Gate gate tower.
"Yes."
The word fell, followed by silence.
With the arrival of the master of the Xu family, all murmurs on the square before the Meridian Gate vanished; even sound transmissions became few and far between.
The time that followed was silent waiting.
By the ceremonial rites of Great Yan, external ministers could not witness the coronation process of the emperor. Whether it was burning incense to worship Heaven, paying respects to the former emperors, the Empress Dowager crowning the new sovereign, or donning the imperial dragon robes, all took place within the inner palace. Only after this series of elaborate ceremonies concluded would the new sovereign come atop the Meridian Gate to meet the assembled ministers and proclaim the coronation address to them.
There were no overly strict requirements regarding the timing of the new sovereign's ascent to the Meridian Gate. Having completed the inner palace proceedings, so long as the new sovereign did not ascend after full sunrise, it was permissible under the rites. If one wanted a greater sense of ceremony, one could time the ascent just as the rising sun cast its light over the world, announcing their rule to the first ray of dawn; if one didn't care, one could also ascend while darkness still lingered.
Not long after Xu Yuan's arrival, the Sect Alliance delegation arrived as well. Although most court officials had learned through their respective channels that the delegation would attend, the ceaseless civil war across various regions still provoked a brief murmur among them.
The Sect Alliance delegation likewise stood in the front row before the Meridian Gate.
Glancing over, Xu Yuan saw the Big Ice Block in her usual black robes, surrounded by an entourage in the center. Today she was not wearing a veiled hat, but her lowered eyelids looked somewhat dejected.
And just moments after his gaze fell upon her, the young woman seemed to sense it and looked toward him.
Their gazes intertwined in the air.
Her ethereal black eyes were as they had always been, gazing at him with tentative caution.
The wind in the final hour before dawn on this snowy night was somewhat chilly.
The two were not far apart, nor were there many people between them, yet the emotions in their eyes felt separated by a chasm.
Xu Yuan silently looked away, took a deep breath, and slowly closed his eyes. Yet after a moment, he could not help but sigh.
Both for Ran Qingmo,
and for the uninvited woman who had just arrived.
He sensed that familiar aura,
or rather,
caught the scent of that familiar fragrance.
Tianye had arrived.
Opening his eyes again, Xu Yuan saw Tianye already tilting her head and leaning close to his face. Dressed in her pavilion master's gown that seemed both sacred and demonic, the smile at the corners of her lips resembled a demon's:
"Since you care, wouldn't it be better to just go over and say hello?"
Xu Yuan looked at her quietly, his voice hoarse yet calm:
"Do you want to die?"
Tianye deliberately shrank her neck as though intimidated by his fierceness, but seeing that his expression remained blank, she pulled back slightly in mild boredom and stood at his side, saying with a light smile:
"I only wanted to remind you. If you don't say certain words now, you won't have another chance."
Waves of quiet commotion spread among the crowd behind them due to Tianye's sudden appearance. The Overseeing Heaven Pavilion was now part of the Sect Alliance, but in their eyes, the Pavilion Master arriving in Di'an in person was still far too audacious at this time when the realm's fate hung in the balance.
Xu Yuan did not reply immediately, staring straight ahead into the distance.
Up in the sky where no one else noticed, he could see the wandering golden specks growing more and more numerous, some of them even connecting into threads.
Only after a long while did Xu Yuan speak slowly:
"I... cannot understand your stance."
"You think that by having Him descend upon Di'an at this time, I am destined to lose?"
"At the very least, it's not prudent."
"Mmh..."
Hearing this, Tianye instinctively crossed her arms, resting her fair chin on her hand. After pondering for a moment, her eyes curved with a smile. "If He were made to descend secretly somewhere else, it would indeed be more prudent. But that would be far too boring, and it would give rise to even more variables."
Xu Yuan frowned, glancing at the smirking woman beside him.
"Boring?"
Paying no heed whatsoever to the stares of outsiders, Tianye leaned close to Xu Yuan again, reached out to take his arm, and leaned against his shoulder, her breath fragrant as she whispered:
"Did you forget? I once told you that everything I'm doing now is for myself as well~"
"..." Ran Qingmo.
Xu Yuan fell silent for a moment, then said:
"Did you predict that I would kill Li Zhaoyuan?"
Tianye's gaze carried a helpless sorrow:
"Fifty-fifty. It doesn't matter whether you kill him or not. Regardless of which royal family member takes the throne, none of them will stop Him from killing you in Di'an."
Speaking to this point,
Tianye's brilliant golden eyes narrowed mischievously into crescents:
"Of course, if Li Qingyan were willing to make the Li family subordinate to your Xu family for the sake of love, I would have no choice but to admit defeat on my end."
The wind from the long street blew in a few ice crystals.
Xu Yuan remained silent. Only after a long while did he continue:
"So, what do you actually want?"
This time, Tianye answered readily, her hand holding Xu Yuan's arm tightening slightly:
"Me? I want a grand finale that belongs solely to us."
"Madwoman."
"Heh heh~"
"..."
As if thinking of something, Xu Yuan lowered his voice:
"Tianyan should be here too, right?"
"Are you missing her?" Tianye asked, smiling wickedly. "Fickle men aren't very popular, you know."
"..."
Xu Yuan didn't answer, staring at her in silence.
The night wind stirred her cascading black hair. Tianye pursed her lips, and then a bizarre arc curved at the corner of her mouth. Raising her slender index finger, she pointed at herself, tapped Xu Yuan's chest, and finally pointed up toward the sky:
"I told you,
"this is a grand finale that belongs to us. Naturally, she's here as well."
"..."
Hearing this answer, complicated emotions swirled within Xu Yuan's chest. He felt bouts of suffocation surge over him like waves. Yet even so, he could only meet it in silence.
His hands were already stained with blood; there was no turning back...
The night met its final darkness; dawn was arriving.
...
...
...
"Your Highness, the time has come."
The gentle voice of her maid and senior attendant drifted into every corner of the chamber along with the blue wisps of sandalwood smoke. A woman with her black hair tied up high sat with her back to the door before a square table, perusing the letter in her hands.
As the residence of a female emperor about to ascend the throne, the chamber's furnishings remained simple as ever: just a bed, a wooden table, several chairs, and a clothes rack.
The woman was engrossed in reading the letter, her knuckles pressing so firmly that the paper creased. Only after she finished the very last character did she notice the figure outside the door. Her slightly hoarse voice was majestic and melodious:
"Is it almost daybreak?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Is that so..."
A breeze carrying a trace of moisture drifted through the window lattice, lifting a few stray strands of hair at her temples. Silently, she set the letter—which she had read countless times over the past few days—upon the table. The flickering candlelight magnified the darkness in the corners infinitely.
The woman stared at another map on the square table. Beneath the man's threatening words from that night, the earnest sincerity in his eyes that bordered on pleading constantly surfaced in her heart.
Tap...
Tap...
Tap...
Her fingertips lightly tapped against the letter. Lightly supporting her forehead, her long, narrow phoenix eyes half-closed in unknown thoughts. But after a moment, she silently weighed down the map he had left behind with a paperweight, picked up the yellowed final letter of the late Emperor, and walked outside.
[Qingyan, this is an imperial edict passing down the throne.]
[By the time you see this, Father assumes he will no longer be of this world. The person who gives this to you might be Yucheng, or Junqing, or of course Xu Yinhe or his successor. But regardless of the possibility, our Li imperial family has likely reached a moment of life and death.]
Striding briskly outward along the corridor, the jade pendant at her waist clattered crisply against her armor, echoing like the final words of her imperial father in her ears.
[To you, this must feel baffling.]
[Though we are father and daughter, the number of times we have met since your childhood can be counted on one's fingers.]
[As your closest kin by blood, Zhen was cold-blooded to the point of heartlessness. Sending you to the Northern Border was a political compromise at the time, yet you, Qingyan, gave Father a surprise.]
[Zhen knows not how to describe this feeling, but when Zhen woke from critical wounds on the brink of death and heard of all you had done in the Northern Border, Zhen realized that you were a gift bestowed upon Zhen by Heaven.]
[Zhen began to groom you intentionally.]
[Grooming your civil acumen and martial strategy.]
[Grooming your political methods.]
[Grooming your hatred for the sects!]
[To achieve this goal, Zhen used every means available, making you lose one person you respected after another.]
[You ought to hate me. I might barely qualify as a good emperor, but I was never a good father. When you receive this letter, it means that all the measures I left behind have been exhausted.]
[The purpose of this letter is to implore you to return to Di'an.]
[There, a grand ceremony will await you.]
[At this grand ceremony, everyone will bow to you, lower their heads to you, kneel and offer you their loyalty. But they will also scrutinize your every move, waiting for your weakness, waiting for you to show a flaw, and then swarm like hyenas to tear you apart and devour you whole.]
[So, Qingyan, you must be ruthless and iron-blooded before them, flawless before them. Replace me, and beneath the gaze of them all, ascend the throne as Emperor!]
The corridor came to an end.
The wild wind outside, laden with moisture, blurred the eyes. Li Qingyan pressed her hand against the hilt of the saber at her waist. Imperial Guard warriors lined both sides of the corridor, dropping to one knee in salute.
The forty-eighth year of Jiajing.
The first ray of morning dawn on the thirteenth of the second month fell,
its gentle light reflecting upon her breathtaking, flawless countenance,
and upon the magnificent gate tower of the Meridian Gate.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Silence.
The Meridian Gate square, where thousands of nobles and dignitaries of the Great Yan Dynasty were gathered, fell into boundless silence.
At this moment when everyone was prepared to kneel and welcome the new Emperor of Great Yan, the Empress did not ascend the gate tower.
Time slipped by.
The dawn light spilled across snow-covered Di'an, gradually waking the sleeping city. The bustle of the common folk slowly reached the Meridian Gate, yet that Empress still had not mounted the gate tower to proclaim the birth of a new sovereign.
Panic and unease began spreading through the crowd. Yet before the whispers could multiply, a rustling sound at the forefront of the ministers was the first to break the stillness before the Meridian Gate.
Someone was laughing.
"Ha... haha... haha..."
Xu Yuan hung his head, his body trembling slightly from uncontrolled laughter. He wanted to rein in his emotions—after all, his status demanded it.
Yet when all doubts were cleared, the heartfelt emotion welling up from deep within made it impossible to restrain himself. His laughter grew louder, grew excited, grew wild, grew untrammeled and free:
"Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!"
Laughter echoing toward the heavens resounded unceasingly.
Xu Yuan casually tossed aside the slip of paper that Marquis Wucheng had handed over before dawn, claiming it was written in the Empress's own hand. There was no need to read it; he already knew what was written upon it.
When the laughter before the Meridian Gate finally subsided,
when the armored Empress arrived at the Tianhe,
winter had drawn to a close.
A spring breeze blew from south to north,
brushing past the map of Hongnong beneath the paperweight, annotated with secret realms where troops were hidden,
and brushing past the love letter written in the imperial hand,
sweeping it into the vault of heaven, letting those sharp characters shine brilliantly in the dawn.
[Idiot, I am Li Qingyan.]
Chapter 807