Xue Liulan didn't bother changing. He grabbed a robe, threw it over his shoulders, and followed the messenger into the palace.
The courtyard was deserted. Only Guo Shangzhong stood outside the hall, a weeping dancer kneeling beside him. No guards. The palace felt vast and desolate.
Xue Liulan stopped. Li Yan, who had followed, halted beside him, his eyes scanning the darkness. The silence was heavy, suffocating.
"Your Highness," Li Yan whispered. "This is wrong."
Xue Liulan stared at the brightly lit hall. His robe, untied, fluttered in the night wind. He felt cold, but not from the air.
"I know."
"Could it be…" Li Yan didn't finish. But they both knew. A summons in the dead of night, no guards, only the two of them… if this was a trap, they were dead.
Does the Emperor suspect him? Is this an execution? Li Yan's heart hammered.
Xue Liulan looked at him calmly. "Minister Li, go back."
"Your Highness!"
"From here on, whatever happens is family business. It has nothing to do with you." He stared at the silent hall.
"What kind of man do you take me for?" Li Yan frowned. "You treated me with honor. I will repay you with loyalty."
Xue Liulan turned to him. His eyes were deep, dark pools reflecting a terrifying unknown.
"Minister Li, you hold the lives of Yan Lingfu and the others in your hands. The sky is changing. They will need your protection." His hands were clenched tight behind his back.
Guo Shangzhong wouldn't fake an assassination. The silence meant only one thing: the Emperor was already dead. As for who did it… he didn't know. But Guo Shangzhong was definitely involved.
"Go."
He turned and walked toward the hall.
"Your Highness." Li Yan called out.
Xue Liulan stopped but didn't turn. "A tiger doesn't eat its cubs. And I am the Crown Prince, named by his own mouth."
He walked on.
Li Yan understood. If the Emperor wanted him dead, he wouldn't have given him power first.
But Li Yan didn't know the real reason for Xue Liulan's certainty. It wasn't politics. It was what his father had told him: You are the last memory she left me.
"This old slave greets Your Highness." Guo Shangzhong dropped to his knees as Xue Liulan approached. "Please, Your Highness, take charge."
Xue Liulan smelled blood. He helped the eunuch up, his eyes sliding to the weeping dancer. He recognized her. The one who looked like his mother.
"What happened, Eunuch Guo?"
"I don't know! I heard screaming, and when I came, I found this girl crying in a pool of blood." Guo Shangzhong pointed a trembling finger. "You! Come greet the Crown Prince!"
"Your… Your Highness…" The girl stammered.
Xue Liulan frowned. She was dressed for The Return, her pale violet robes now stained dark red. A long gash ran down her right arm.
"Even you were hurt. It seems the assassins intended to leave no witnesses." He touched the wound lightly, his gaze cold.
"Tell His Highness what happened!" Guo Shangzhong hissed.
"I…"
"How many were there?" Xue Liulan cut her off, staring past her into the hall, at the man slumped on the throne.
You climbed over your brothers' bones to get there. You hurt the woman who loved you for power. Father, if you could do it again, would you make the same choice?
"Fifteen," the girl whispered.
"Fifteen?" He repeated, looking from her to Guo Shangzhong. "You remember clearly."
She looked away. "I… I was cut. I hid and pretended to be dead."
"Did you see their faces?" His voice was devoid of pity.
"Yes."
"Good." He snorted. "Eunuch Guo, where are the guards?"
"Searching for the assassins, Your Highness." Guo Shangzhong bowed low. "Should we… tend to His Majesty's body first?"
Xue Liulan nodded. "Do it. And bring the court artist. Have her describe the faces."
"Yes." Guo Shangzhong hid his surprise. The Prince was calm. Too calm. No tears, no rage. Just ice.
"Is there something else?" Xue Liulan asked, seeing him linger.
"Your Highness… please, take care of yourself. Do not let grief overwhelm you."
"I know."
The guards returned, awaiting orders. They watched him in silence.
"Announce the death. Eunuch Guo, handle the arrangements." He looked up at the stars, blinking back tears.
The stars in the sky are souls on earth. Mother, is he with you now?
"Little Dingzi."
The eunuch stepped forward.
"Bring Murong Jin to the Zhaoyang Palace."
"Yes, master." Little Dingzi left, thinking his master must be truly heartbroken to summon her at this hour.
The courtyard emptied. Only Guo Shangzhong and the dancer remained, surrounded by the bodies of the other girls.
"You did well today," Guo Shangzhong said, straightening up.
"I would do anything for you, Patron." She knelt.
"Good. Stay loyal, and I won't mistreat you."
"Thank you." She kowtowed.
Guo Shangzhong watched Xue Liulan's retreating figure, a cruel smile spreading across his face. He had chosen a puppet. He wouldn't let the puppet cut its strings.
Murong Jin nearly dropped the baby when she heard the news.
"Shh, shh." She rocked him. "What happened? The Emperor assassinated?"
"It's true, Your Highness. I saw the bodies. The Emperor… a sword through the chest."
One strike. Not an ordinary assassin. She exchanged a look with Yi.
"Where is Xue Liulan? Why is he at Zhaoyang Palace?"
"I don't know. He just said to bring you there."
When she arrived, the palace was pitch black. He wanted no one to know he was here.
"Go back," she told Little Dingzi. "Help Ning Bi prepare for tomorrow."
"Yes."
Alone, she leaped over the wall, flitting through the shadows to the side hall where the portraits were kept.
She put her hand on the door. Inside, a low voice spoke.
"You like climbing walls, too."
She pushed the door open. By the faint moonlight, she saw him sitting on the floor, back against a table, head bowed on his knees.
"Did Mother like it?" She sat beside him.
"She used to sneak me out. We'd climb back in late at night." His voice was thick. "Once, Father caught us. They had a huge fight. She only agreed to take guards with her to make him stop."
She couldn't see his face. She reached out, touching his cheek. It was wet.
"Xue Liulan."
"The guards were useless. He knew that. He cared about her, but he couldn't show it. He suppressed it until he thought he didn't love her anymore."
"The dead cannot return," she whispered, pulling his head onto her shoulder. "It's just us here. Let it out."