XIAO CHIYE RIGHTED the lid of the teacup, carefully not looking at Li Jianheng. "Don't fret," he said.
Li Jianheng slumped back in his chair, scared out of his wits.
"With His Majesty here, and the guards so watchful, how could someone simply drown like that?" the empress dowager asked.
"Your Majesty," Ji Lei addressed her, "this humble subject has already sent the corpse for the coroner's examination. We will have more details soon."
"What do you mean?" The specter of constant illness had cast a pall over the Xiande Emperor. He frowned gloomily. "Was there something strange about his death?"
"He was covered in bruises, Your Majesty," Ji Lei replied. "He had clearly received a beating before he went into the water. Xiaofuzi was a palace eunuch but held no important post in the Twenty-Four Yamen.19 He was only His Majesty's personal eunuch. If he was tortured, then I'm afraid the murderer might have more sinister motives."
The Xiande Emperor rose, supporting himself on the edge of the table. "We have only just stepped out of the palace," he said coldly, "and somebody's so impatient."
"Your Majesty." Hai Liangyi stepped forward and knelt. "The Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eight Great Battalions are on rotation duty today. If the eunuch's murderer really had grander designs, would he have done such a sloppy job of it? Xiaofuzi often left the palace on errands to purchase this or that. It's not impossible for him to have made personal enemies outside."
"I'm afraid I disagree, Renshi," Secretariat Elder Hua Siqian said from his seat. "Any man who dares strike this close to the throne plainly has no regard for His Majesty or the officials here. What commoner outside the palace would have the gall?"
Xiao Chiye sat stock-still as the gears turned in his mind.
Chen Yang had dragged Xiaofuzi into the woods at half past noon. Within the time it took an incense stick to burn, the eunuchs carrying banquet dishes and the Eight Great Battalions' patrol should have passed by. Countless people would've left their seats to change clothes, drink tea, or make a trip to the latrine. The guests present today were of the highest status; moreover, the accompanying guards and eunuchs all had the right to move freely within the garden. As all these people were going to and fro, someone only needed to give Xiaofuzi a light kick, and he would have drowned in the pond.
At this point, the thorniest issue was not the bruises on Xiaofuzi's body, but the fact that Ji Lei had changed the narrative, turning this petty murder case into suspected treason.
Xiao Chiye rested a fingertip on the lid of his teacup.
This fire must never spread to Prince Chu.
The emperor was gravely ill, and even the Court of Imperial Physicians was at its wits' end. No one could predict the moment Heaven's Ordained would depart this world, and the Xiande Emperor had no heirs. Once the inevitable came to pass, Li Jianheng would be next in line for succession. Today, Xiao Chiye had been too careless. Li Jianheng's absence from the banquet earlier was glaring; he couldn't dismiss it with a perfunctory excuse.
The Xiao Clan was already on thin ice. If they were suspected of bringing their swords to bear in the matter of succession, the mere existence of one hundred and twenty thousand Libei cavalry would be enough to drop the executioner's blade on Xiao Jiming's neck. The situation had snowballed; it was already an avalanche bearing down on him. He had to stop it.
Xiao Chiye flung down his teacup, shattering it on the table. The sound rang out crisp and clear, drawing glances from everyone at the banquet.
Looking at him apprehensively, Li Jianheng stuttered, "C-Ce'an…"
Xiao Chiye rose from his seat and strode toward the throne. Sinking to his knees, he declared, "Your Majesty! This humble subject daren't hide this from you. The one who ordered this man's beating was I."
The Xiande Emperor fixed his gaze on him. "He was but a palace eunuch. What grudge did you bear him that you would go so far?"
Ji Lei also looked askance at him. "Lord Xiao, this is a matter of grave importance. You mustn't take the blame for another simply because of personal ties."
"What grave importance," Xiao Chiye said offhandedly. "This humble subject sees no crime here. So what if I beat a lowly eunuch? I am the supreme commander of the Imperial Army and a second-rank official; don't tell me I have to put up with insolence from that bastard?"
"To incite such fury from Er-gongzi, this must be no ordinary grudge," Hua Siqian said. "Except Xiaofuzi doesn't usually cross your path. What happened to anger you so?"
"The secretariat elder is unaware of this," Xiao Chiye began, "but on my way to the drill grounds a few months ago, that bastard's sedan blocked my horse's way. You ought to have seen the pompous display he put on; I'd have thought it was Pan-gonggong himself had he not lifted the curtain. I offered a few words of rebuke, and he boldly mouthed off to me. What real man would allow himself to be humiliated by a filthy, castrated wretch right there in the street? I doubt anyone here could stomach it in silence."
The assembled guests flinched at Xiao Chiye's choice of words. All eyes turned to Pan Rugui, standing conspicuously by the emperor's side.
As the Xiande Emperor deliberated, the empress dowager chimed in: "Be that as it may, killing at the slightest provocation is not the behavior of a gentleman."
These words seemed to move Pan Rugui to tears. The gray-haired man knelt, his eyes red-rimmed. "Your Majesty's mercy is a grace from above. We servants are lowly creatures. How could we compare to the second young master? Xiaofuzi had been spoiled rotten; he was ignorant of etiquette when encountering military officials of the court. Even after receiving the second young master's guidance, he remained unrepentant. This servant has been remiss in his instruction; as his teacher, I am to blame for the faults of the child!"
His tone was conciliatory, but the law was clear: eunuchs were required to dismount and kowtow in greeting upon meeting a minister or official of the court.
The empress dowager was a staunch Buddhist; she was greatly displeased at the wanton taking of lives. She turned to the Xiande Emperor. "It has ever been said that all men are equal in the eyes of the law. Whether it was perpetrated to satisfy sentiment or reason, Xiao Chiye's unruly violence cannot be treated lightly. Besides, the Xiao Clan are known to be loyal and upright men. The Prince of Libei sent his son to Qudu to be raised under Your Majesty's eye. If we indulge him until he thinks himself above the law, we will have disappointed the Prince of Libei who left him in our care."
Ji Lei, too, was indignant. Unwilling to let the matter go, he spoke up. "The second young master has always been friendly with Prince Chu. As for this act tonight, His Highness is also—"
"This humble subject is not finished." Xiao Chiye cut him off. "I said I was the one who beat him, but I didn't kill him. Your Majesty, I had indeed intended to take his life to vent my fury. But when His Highness Prince Chu found out, he persuaded me against it. The beating today was meant to be carried out by my guards on the sly, yet His Highness noticed something amiss and left his seat to save Xiaofuzi's life. With Prince Chu standing by, this humble subject didn't dare rebuff His Highness's teachings, and thus I let Xiaofuzi off with his life. As for his drowning, I find it strange as well. Who would take up my grudge and do such an unwise thing?
"Lord Ji." Xiao Chiye turned to Ji Lei, his eyes faintly gleaming. "The Embroidered Uniform Guard is usually meticulous and impeccable in their work. This eunuch was left just at the edge of the road today, yet he managed to dodge the patrols and drown in the pond. Perhaps he could not orient himself with his head covered and tumbled in himself."
"A good point," Hai Liangyi agreed. "A person fell into the pond, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, though they walked back and forth patrolling the grounds, were none the wiser. If assassins were to infiltrate the West Gardens today, they mightn't notice that either!"
Ji Lei didn't dare stir up any more trouble. He dropped to the ground and kowtowed a few times, panicked. "Your Majesty! The Embroidered Uniform Guard have our own constraints! The guards are sharing patrol duty with the Eight Great Battalions today; we organize manpower carefully when relieving each squad. We would never neglect the tiniest detail!"
The Military Commissioner of the Eight Great Battalions, Xi Gu'an, knelt as well. "It's as he says, Your Majesty. The Eight Great Battalions also take this matter very seriously. The patrol rotation follows a fixed schedule. It's not impossible for someone to have memorized it and seized their moment to kill Xiaofuzi. This is a personal grudge. Anyone with grievances against this eunuch, Xiaofuzi, must be thoroughly investigated."
"Do it then." The Xiande Emperor laughed in anger, flinging his teacup at Xi Gu'an. "A man died right under your noses. Instead of reflecting on your actions, you speak only of shirking responsibility! To think we actually put our safety into your—your…" The emperor's voice went hoarse; he covered his mouth as the coughing took him. His rage seemed to scorch his very lungs; he reached down to support himself on the table, then crumpled to the ground.
"Your Majesty!"
Shrill cries of alarm issued from the palace ladies, and chaos spread like fire through the banquet hall.
The empress dowager sank to her knees to support him. "Summon the imperial physician, quickly!"
When Xiao Chiye finally made his way back to Li Jianheng's side, the prince regarded him as his own kin. "Brother of my own blood!" he cried. "You scared the life out of me!"
"I've been kneeling for ages; I'm starving. Is there anything to eat?"
Li Jianheng motioned for someone to run and fetch some food. Standing on a veranda in the West Gardens, the pair looked toward the brightly lit hall.
"When His Majesty wakes, he'll ask for you again," Li Jianheng said. "How did Xiaofuzi end up in the pond? What shit luck I have!"
Xiao Chiye washed his snacks down with cold tea. This was a delicate matter.
Xiaofuzi had always enjoyed Pan Rugui's favor. Even if someone had plotted to take his life, how could the timing dovetail so perfectly with Li Jianheng's beating? If it wasn't a premeditated attempt to kill Xiaofuzi but a spur-of-the-moment decision, it would have been vastly more advantageous to untie him than to kill him.
Pan Rugui and Ji Lei had reacted far too swiftly. The man's body had hardly cooled, yet they had made full use of him. And if they could pin his death on Prince Chu, so much the better.
"Has His Majesty spent his nights with any lady in particular recently?" Xiao Chiye asked offhandedly.
"Sure," Li Jianheng answered. "Lately he favors the lady from the Wei Clan. The empress dowager likes her too."
Xiao Chiye looked thoughtful.
By now night had fallen, but no one dared to leave—the guests from the banquet clustered in small groups along the veranda, waiting for the emperor to wake.
Xi Gu'an had left the courtyard at some point in the evening. When he returned, he went to wait inside the hall on the empress dowager's orders. After an hour, Xiao Chiye saw a footman dressed in clean but simple clothes enter through the side gate, escorted by members of the Eight Great Battalions.
"Who is that?" Xiao Chiye asked.
Li Jianheng craned his neck. "A footman. There are plenty here, aren't there? Why are they bringing in this one?"
Even under the dim light of lanterns, Xiao Chiye's sharp eyes spotted twisting burn scars marring the footman's face. His heart pounded as an ominous premonition took shape in his mind. "The West Gardens are noble grounds meant to host the emperor. Those who wait upon him must please the eye. How could such a footman serve here?"
Some time later, Pan Rugui stepped out of the hall. "Summon the eighth son of the Shen Clan! Bring him at once for an audience with the emperor!"
Uproar immediately broke out among the officials, the sounds of chatter echoing off every wall.
Though no final judgment had been made on the case of Shen Wei's treason, his blackened name had spread far and wide. Zhongbo's wounds had yet to heal; even now, Shen Wei bore the blame for the troops' defeat. That the last member of the Shen Clan had escaped with his life was already cause for resentment on the frontiers; how could he be permitted to walk free?
Li Jianheng panicked. "What's going on? Don't tell me they discovered something more? There's enmity between the two of you; you see red whenever you lay eyes on him. For the sake of the Xiao Clan, they should keep him locked up!"
Xiao Chiye said nothing, but merely shifted his gaze to the door and stared with rapt attention.
In less than half the time it took to burn a stick of incense, a guard strode into the courtyard followed closely by another man. His hair had grown long in the last five years. It cascaded down his back, secured only with a crude wooden hairpin and no crown. His worn, wide-sleeved robe hid his wrists from view, but the hands that peeked from them were fair and lustrous as porcelain. A lantern obstructed Xiao Chiye's sight, but Li Jianheng dropped his teacup when Shen Zechuan walked into view.
"You never told me he looked like this…" Li Jianheng muttered.
Xiao Chiye's thumb unconsciously curled.
Shen Zechuan passed before the walkway where they stood. Xiao Chiye watched him with cold detachment. In that split second, he locked gazes with a pair of eyes he remembered well. Those eyes were long and narrow, their ends extending in a delicate upward curve. Even in the dim glow of the lantern, the irises glittered like lost stars. Shen Zechuan's lips seemed to curl in a hint of a smile as he glanced at Xiao Chiye, so faint that once he passed it left no trace—it had come and gone like the chill night wind.