Chapter 160 Part 2

 

The carriage turned around and headed back to the north of the city.

“Carry Zhen up there. Zhen want to go and take a look at Chang’an.”

When the carriage stopped again in front of the Zhenguo Tower, the emperor spoke.

The old palace eunuch directed several strong palace eunuchs to quickly bring a pre-prepared sedan chair. The emperor sat on it and was carried to the top of Zhenguo Tower in one breath.

Zhenguo Tower had not yet been opened to the public. At this moment, the surroundings were quiet and silent. The tower stood alone, towering beside Kaiyuan Gate—at night, seen from afar, it resembled a long sword thrust into the base of the city wall, its bell pavilion at the top was like the tip of the blade, pointing straight to the heavens.

The old palace eunuch glanced at the emperor, a trace of sadness flashed across his eyes. He then led everyone else to withdraw, leaving only the emperor and Pei Xiaoyuan at the top.

The emperor stopped in front of the big bell. The lamplight atop the bell pavilion outlined his figure—hunched and rigid. It was only then that Pei Xiaoyuan realized that he seemed to be enduring some kind of pain from deep within his body. Just as he was about to speak, the emperor slowly exhaled. Then, he straightened his back and turned to gaze out in all directions.

Tonight, beneath his feet, the city blocks that were arranged in a crisscross pattern were connected to each other by lights, shining brightly and brilliantly, making people wonder if the Milky Way was hanging upside down, with a sky full of stars flowing in the streets and alleys of Chang’an.

Of course, he couldn’t see anything. However, everything seemed to be in his sight. He stood facing the brightly lit city for a while, and suddenly said, “Zhen rarely admired anyone in Zhen’s life, but your father is an exception.

“Zhen say this with no intent to excuse oneself, but at that time, when Zhen made that decision, Zhen truly did not expect that he would take the initiative to leave the pass, intercept the enemy himself, and ultimately die in battle.”

Pei Xiaoyuan’s expression tightened slightly, but he gave no reply.

“Sometimes Zhen wonder,” the emperor continued, “if your father had known that the battle at Beiyuan was actually caused by a conspiracy, what choice would he have made…”

The emperor paused for a moment.

“Zhen can be sure that he will make the same choice. The enemy has arrived. Even if he knows that he has stepped into a conspiracy, he will not abandon Beiyuan.

“Only a man like your father could have a son like you.

“Zhen envy him.” The emperor slowly turned around and said to Pei Xiaoyuan beside him.

Standing close, with the help of the light from lamp above, Pei Xiaoyuan could see more clearly that the emperor’s face was a sickly reddish hue, as if he had just had a bad cough.

“If Your Majesty is tired, this minister will escort Your Majesty back to the palace to rest.” He said this, but his tone was still respectful and slightly distant.

The emperor seemed not to hear, and continued, “Zhen is not as good as him, and Zhen owe him eight hundred lives. But this world—”

The emperor suddenly changed his tone and said, “Except for your father, Zhen dare says that no one else is qualified to judge Zhen’s right and wrong.

“Jingsheng is in turmoil, beasts and wolves reeked of blood, half the land had collapsed, and the people of the world were suffering and crying out in despair. It was Zhen who put down the chaos, who prevented our civilization from falling, who stopped foreign tribes from seizing the throne—”

The emperor’s voice grew more agitated, his breath suddenly turning labored.

“After Zhen ascended the throne, the population had drastically declined. Internally, there were accumulated rot of the former dynasty. Externally, powerful enemies eyed us like tigers. Zhen endured humiliation and carried the burden alone, rebuilding the world. Twenty years later, we have this current situation.

“Pei family’s son!” He suddenly called out, raised his arm and pointed at the sleepless city that sprawled beneath his feet.

“Zhen knows you harbor deep resentment towards Zhen, and Zhen deserve everything. But this world… if it had not been Zhen who rose to unify it, would it not still be torn apart by rival kings, bandit warlords reigning supreme, military conflict ran rampant, chaos without cease—who could say otherwise?

“Zhen has no regret!”

After saying these four words, the emperor began gasping heavily for breath.

“In Zhen’s life, there are only two people Zhen have truly wronged. One… is Hao’er’ mother. The other—was your father.

“Zhen has sinned against your father.

“Zhen has already said that there will be an explanation.

“Zhen has kept you waiting for too long. There will be no further waiting, not even for a moment—”

Before the emperor finished speaking, he suddenly leaned back and fell towards the bronze bell behind him.

Accompanied by a long, vibrating sound of the big bell being struck, the emperor fell to the ground, motionless.

“Your Majesty!”

Pei Xiaoyuan rushed forward and called out a few times, but there was no response. He leaned over and carefully lifted up the emperor’s face, only to find that his eyes were tightly closed and his whole body was burning as if there was fire burning inside.

His heart tightened, and he immediately squatted down, carried the emperor on his back, turned around and quickly went downstairs. At this time, the old palace eunuch also rushed in after hearing the sound. Seeing this, his face turned pale, but it seemed that all this was within his expectations. With the support of two strong servants, he followed silently behind.

Pei Xiaoyuan carried the emperor on his back and went down the Zhenguo Tower in one breath. He then put the emperor on the carriage and rushed to the palace.

In Ziyun Palace, after the emperor took Pei Xiaoyuan away, Xuyu remained behind to stay with her son. As the night deepened, Xiao Hu’er drifted off to sleep. But the emperor and Pei Xiaoyuan still had not returned. Xuyu grew increasingly uneasy. Her heart fluttered with a restless dread. While waiting anxiously, her eyes happened to fall upon the desk in the corner of the hall—and her gaze froze.

On it was a round golden plate that looked quite familiar. It was the very medicine tray the emperor had used to hold his elixirs when she first returned to the palace.

She rushed over and pulled away the cloth covering the plate. The plate was empty.

Xuyu’s heart suddenly sank, she turned around and went out, asking someone to bring the mute eunuch who was in charge of medicine. When the mute arrived, he fell to his knees in tears, signing rapidly. Xuyu’s face immediately turned pale, her pulse thundered in her ear. Without a word, she turned and bolted out of the hall.

As soon as she ran out of Ziyun Palace, she ran into Pei Xiaoyuan, who was walking back quickly with the emperor on his back. After entering, he carefully placed the person on the bed. Someone had already gone to call the imperial physician.

The emperor leaned on the bed with his eyes closed. A few streaks of blood slowly seeped out of the corners of his eyes, ears and nose. However, his expression seemed unusually calm, as if he did not feel any pain at all.

“Father!”

Xuyu rushed forward, wiped the blood off the emperor with trembling hands, then grabbed the emperor’s hot hand, tears rolling down her face.

The emperor slowly opened his eyes: “Don’t be sad. Father has been looking forward to this day for a long time. You know, Hao’er, whether she’s still willing to see Father or not, Father will always go to find her.”

Xuyu was overwhelmed with tears.

“Don’t cry.” The emperor wiped her tears gently, glanced at the anxious figure rushing towards the imperial physician, and motioned for her to come closer.

“Do you remember how Pei family’s son carried Father on his back once in Cangshan? It felt so steady and comforting—Father never forgot it. Father always wanted him to carry me again, but could never say it out loud. Today, that wish has finally come true. Father is very happy.”

The emperor smiled and spoke softly.

According to official history, on the night of the captive offering ceremony, after meeting with his ministers, the emperor died of exhaustion in the west hall of Ziyun Palace, freed from long torment of illness and pain.

But in the unofficial accounts and folk tales it was not illness that took him, but rather his obsession with Taoist practices in his later years. In pursuit of immortality, he fatally overdosed on alchemical elixirs—and thus met a sudden end.

Regardless of the truth, before the emperor left, the princess and her prince consort were by the bedside accompanying him. After the emperor held their hands, he smiled and departed quietly.

And this news was not made public until three days after the national celebration had ended.

“clang—”

“clang—”

“clang—”

From deep within the palace, the mournful toll of the funeral bell rang out, shaking the capital of Chang’an and rousing hundreds of temples across the city. In every direction—east, west, south, and north—the bells joined in echo, one after another.

Amid the resounding tones of mourning that filled the city, Zheng Song started upright in his study at home. Civil and military officials rushed toward the imperial palace. Pei Ji, leading the Crown Prince Li Hui, knelt solemnly before the imperial coffin.

When the bells reached the guest halls of the Honglu Temple and the many offices of tributary envoys, even the foreign emissaries still residing in Chang’an were struck by grief—they tore their hair, cast off their shoes, and could not contain their sorrow.

The sound of the bell reached the West Market. Gu Twelve and the guards on duty dismounted, knelt in the street, and wept bitterly.

The sound of the bell reached the Zanxing Nunnery. The pilgrims at the gate stopped in their tracks, discussing in panic. Across the street, the flower seller who was eagerly trying to attract customers ceased her sales pitch, slowly putting down the branch of beautiful peach and apricot flowers in her hand.

The sound of the bell reached Yongping Lane. Aunt Gao, who was cursing people for being lazy while hugging her baby born last year, suddenly fell silent, walked quickly to the door, looked towards the direction of the imperial palace, wiped her eyes after a moment, and ordered people to take down the colored lights in front of the door and replace them white lanterns.

The sound of the bells also spread out of the city, along the countless post stations on the vast network of post roads radiating from Chang’an, reaching every corner of the realm. In half a month, it would echo throughout the nine provinces.

On a country path, an old man carrying a travel bag halted his mule upon hearing the bell. He turned his head, gazing into the distance for a while. Then, he dismounted, knelt by the roadside, and bowed deeply in the direction of Chang’an. He then stood up again, slung his bag over his shoulders again and continued on his way.

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