AEDBE CHAPTER 16

 

A Eunuch’s Dream of Being Emperor by Li Ximin

Chapter 16

Dongzi wanted to cry out, for Eunuch Li had explicitly instructed him that if he ever felt afraid or needed anything, he could call out for him or Mama Wu. Yet, suddenly, he found himself utterly disinclined to shout. He loathed the thought of facing Eunuch Li, nor did he harbor any fondness for Mama Wu, whose visage was perpetually carved from ice like a wandering phantom. Sometimes she would materialize silently right behind him without the slightest rustle, scaring him half to death.

Dongzi’s heart was crushed under a heavy weight, hammering erratically against his ribs as his small hands clamped over his chest in a desperate bid to force it into stillness. Had the chamber door not clicked open with agonizing stealth, perhaps his frantic heart might actually have calmed. Instead, someone crept into the room on tiptoe. Dongzi held his breath, not daring to exhale a single wisp of air as his trembling hands clutched tighter at his breast.

Who has sneaked in?

Without warning, Dongzi caught a foul, alien stench—a rotting, putrid acidity that recoiled from the sunlight. His senses were preternaturally acute to this specific odor, instantly identifying the intruder as the man he privately addressed as "Imperial Grandfather": Eunuch Li.

Why on earth would Eunuch Li sneak into his bedchamber in the dead of night?

Unwilling to engage with him, Dongzi clamped his eyes shut, feigning deep slumber and even manufacturing the soft, rhythmic sounds of artificial snoring. Thank the heavens I didn't crawl down into the subterranean tunnels tonight to nose around for secrets, Dongzi thought with a cold shudder. If he caught me, God only knows what horrors would follow.

Within the grand confines of the Li estate, any monstrosity was possible.

It was indeed Eunuch Li. He wore no imperial dragon robe tonight; instead, he was clad entirely in pristine white night-silks. Stepping in from the freezing night air, his pale, naked flesh was stippled with goosebumps. Yet the chamber was stiflingly warm, and the chill rapidly faded from his skin.

Eunuch Li glided to the bedside, peering down by the flickering candlelight at Dongzi’s flushed, delicate features.

He crooned softly, "Grandson... My precious grandson..."

Dongzi pretended absolute deafness, maintaining the facade of profound, unbroken sleep. He initially imagined the old eunuch would take his slumber as a cue to withdraw, but to his horror, Eunuch Li climbed right up onto the mattress and slipped beneath the heavy covers.

Propping his left cheek in his palm with his elbow sunk deep into the mattress, Eunuch Li turned his face sideways to devour the sight of Dongzi’s youthful, rosy face. Dongzi could feel the old man's face resting dangerously close, his ragged respiration audible in the dark, though his expression remained hidden in shadow. The air exhaled from Eunuch Li’s lungs carried a revolting, sickly stench resembling spoiled, souring meat. The memory of him devouring human flesh at the coronation banquet surged unbidden into Dongzi’s throat, nearly provoking a violent bout of retching. He bit back the vomit, praying with every fiber of his being that the monster would vanish.

Eunuch Li reached out with his right hand, trailing his fingertips lightly across Dongzi’s cheek. The touch felt like a freezing, slithering viper gliding over his flesh, sending a sub-zero chill straight down to his soul. Next, the tip of Eunuch Li’s index finger traced a slow, deliberate line across Dongzi’s sensitive lips. It felt like an army of crawling ants, inducing an intolerable, maddening itch.

Dongzi felt an overwhelming impulse to shove him violently away.

Eunuch Li murmured incantations under his breath, charged with a bizarre, paralyzing sorcery that drained Dongzi of all physical volition. He found himself utterly incapacitated, unable to twitch a muscle, while even the primal instinct to resist was systematically melted away. His mind, moments ago razor-sharp and terrified, dissolved into a foggy, narcotic haze as though truly sinking into unconsiousness.

Eunuch Li stripped away his night-garments, pressed his lips directly against Dongzi's, and kissed him.

Paralyzed and defenseless, Dongzi was forced to endure his manipulations.

The aged eunuch’s hands wandered greedily over the tender, youthful contours of the boy’s skin, muttering incoherent mantras while his eyes blazed with the savage, feral hunger of a wolf.

Eunuch Li’s breathing grew ragged and violent. His hand groped downward, finding the boy's groin.

With a sudden, full-body spasm, Eunuch Li's fingers curled around Dongzi's youthful member, and he choked out in a voice wet with ecstasy: "What a magnificent treasure!"

Tears burst unbidden from his eyes.

His facial muscles twitched uncontrollably.

A mental image flashed across his consciousness—the night of his own brutal castration. His hands flew upward to claw at his own hair, while his throat emitted a hollow, desolate sob.

Eunuch Li’s weeping carried an abyss of tragic desolation.

Moments later, the pale, hairless face of the old eunuch plunged downward against Dongzi’s lower body, licking the boy's flesh while weeping hot tears: "Such a flawless treasure... Such a peerless treasure... Where is my treasure? Where is my poor, stolen treasure?"

Perhaps the aged eunuch’s mind had drifted back across the decades to a distant childhood, recalling a delicate, refined youth—equally immaculate, untouched, and pristine... until his impoverished father, broken by failed business ventures in the capital, had ruthlessly castrated him, shattering his universe forever. Remembering it felt like waking from a grotesque nightmare, flooding his eyes with the bitter brine of a ruined life! Human existence was nothing more than a dream—a terrifying, unending nightmare!

Eunuch Li lifted his head, his tongue flicking out to moisten his lips.

He wore the expression of a man savoring a phantom flavor that had eluded his palate for an eternity.

His gaze glazed over with a haunting, distant fog.

He stared blankly at Dongzi’s body, as though gazing upon the lost vessel of his own childhood.

For a long, agonizing interval, he trembled violently, extending a shaking hand to close his palm once more around Dongzi’s flesh, whispering hoarsely: "No! Never! You shall never be castrated! Never in an eternity! Such a divine treasure shall never be severed from your body—never, never! Should any soul dare lay hands upon your treasure, I will carve him slice by slice, scatter his carcass where the crows rot, chop his manhood into mincemeat, and toss it to the dogs! This is My treasure—My treasure alone! No one shall ever tear it from you, no one!"

Trapped in a half-conscious fever dream, Dongzi broke out in a drenching sweat.

For him, this too was a living nightmare.

Eunuch Li finally withdrew from the bedchamber.

Standing alone in the vast, echoing emptiness of the central hall, a sudden, violent surge rose within his chest.

It was an eruption of pure, primal lust, hammering frantically against his ribs.

In truth, that specific desire had withered and died within him decades ago.

Yet tonight, the fire of lust reignited from the ashes. Perhaps it was a miraculous omen; perhaps he truly was no longer a castrated eunuch; perhaps rising as the Sovereign of Tang Town had granted him divine mandate, reversing the cruel march of time to restore his youth! He reached down with a trembling hand to grope between his thighs, half-convinced that a new root had sprouted from the barren scar tissue.

Eunuch Li’s respiration turned frantic.

His entire body felt ablaze.

High above, the palace lanterns cast a deep, oppressive blood-red mist across the hall.

At that moment, he felt an agonizing, desperate need for a woman!

Perhaps he truly required an Empress!

Eunuch Li shuffled to Mama Wu’s chamber door and battered his knuckles against the wood.

From within, Mama Wu challenged with sharp suspicion: "Who is it—?"

Eunuch Li wheezed: "It is Us—"

Recognizing the imperial timbre of his voice, Mama Wu scrambled from her mattress and threw the door wide.

Eunuch Li lunged forward like a starved beast upon the aging woman!

Mama Wu shrieked: "Your Majesty—!"

Eunuch Li shoved her backward onto the mattress, wheezing heavily: "Mama Wu, We must have you—!"

Sprawled flat upon her back, Mama Wu stared up into his face with wide, paralyzed terror, momentarily stripped of wits.

Eunuch Li tore savagely at her garments like a ravenous wolf.

Comprehension dawned in Mama Wu’s eyes.

Her panic slowly ebbed, replaced by an eerie, placid calm.

Yet Eunuch Li continued to shred her clothing with frantic urgency.

Mama Wu smiled thinly: "Your Majesty... do you truly desire me?"

Eunuch Li panted: "Yes, yes—We must have you!"

Mama Wu chuckled: "Your Majesty... are you even capable?"

Eunuch Li snarled: "Capable! Yes, We are capable—"

Mama Wu murmured: "Allow me."

With efficient dexterity, she stripped herself entirely naked.

Mama Wu’s skin was unnaturally pale—a blinding, corpselike white.

Eunuch Li rubbed his burning eyes, hallucinating the smooth, taut flesh of a young maiden. He threw himself blindly upon her, his hands latching onto her sagging breasts to knead them with frantic violence. He rammed his lower body forward, desperately seeking the phantom manhood he imagined had regrown, driving into her void with frantic spasms. Mama Wu lay passive beneath him, a thin, meaningless smile frozen on her lips, feeling absolutely nothing—neither excitement nor aversion.

After all, Eunuch Li was an aged, broken husk. Within moments, his breath failed him, turning into a shallow rattle.

Mama Wu gently pushed him aside, murmuring softly: "Your Majesty, you are incapable. Pray, do not attempt this again lest you shatter your sacred dragon constitution!"

The sudden cold water of her words extinguished the internal fire raging within Eunuch Li.

He reached down a trembling hand to grope his nether regions—flat, hollow, and utterly empty.

An abyss of soul-crushing desolation swallowed him whole.

He thought bitterly: Even if you mount the dragon throne, you remain nothing more than a useless, gelded eunuch!

Without warning, Eunuch Li raised his palm and cracked a vicious, ringing slap across Mama Wu’s cheek, his teeth bared in a snarl: "Filthy bitch!"

Accepting the blow without flinching, Mama Wu maintained her oily smile: "Your Majesty, so long as it eases the turmoil in your heart, strike me as you please. This old frame can endure it."

Silently, Eunuch Li dressed himself and trudged out of the room.

Mama Wu called softly: "Shall I escort Your Majesty back to your quarters?"

Eunuch Li repulsed her with a cold, sweeping wave of his hand.

As he vanished down the corridor, Mama Wu slid her door shut. Pressing her palm against her stinging cheek, a venomous hiss escaped her teeth: "Gelded freak, striking me... impotent piece of garbage!"

Eunuch Li remained blissfully deaf to the curse. Had he heard it, he would have cheerfully snapped her neck.

Unable to find sleep upon returning to his bedchamber, a sudden thought struck him. Slipping through the hidden floor panel, he entered the subterranean stone tunnels. Holding a flickering lantern, he navigated the dark corridors—bypassing his usual secret chamber to slither toward a remote alcove directly beneath the Ruanhua Courtyard. Scaling a vertical shaft, he emerged inside a concealed crawlspace behind a bedroom wall, where a pair of loose bricks granted a view through the mortar.

Eunuch Li pressed his sweating face directly against the spy-hole.

The scene unfolding within the chamber seared his eyeballs: a naked Li Cilin was savagely pounding away atop a stark-naked Zhao Hongyan, reducing her to a state of brutalized subjection.

Eunuch Li’s pupils blazed with manic fire, his lips trembling while his frame convulsed in vicarious frenzy.

Within the twisted theater of his imagination, the man mounted upon Zhao Hongyan was not Li Cilin, but himself. Countless times before, through this exact voyeuristic ritual, he had coaxed a fragile, toxic equilibrium into his broken mind.

Suddenly, a disembodied voice drifted from the dark corner of the crawlspace: "You are nothing more than a gelded eunuch!"

Eunuch Li’s face contorted into a mask of pure agony.

Collapsing limply to the floor, he mumbled deliriously: "I am not a eunuch... not a eunuch! I am the Emperor—the supreme, absolute sovereign! I will castrate the lot of you! Li Cilin, Li Saogu... I will slice the manhood from every living male in Tang Town, and every woman within these walls shall belong to Me—all of them!"

Scrambling back to his feet, he shoved the two bricks back into place.

Tears streamed uncontrollably down his withered cheeks.

He stumbled back through the subterranean tunnels, weeping softly at first, before his sorrow curdled into unbridled, howling wails of despair.

With her son vanishing into the night without a trace, Zhu Yueniang had endured a sleepless, agonizing dawn, burning with frantic terror.

Sitting at the hearth with her brass water-pipe, Shangguan Qingqiu puffed smoke lazily to pacify her: "Wenqing has run off before; stop panicking. He cannot vanish from the earth; he will crawl back eventually. Fretting solves nothing and merely rots your constitution. Why can you not emulate my philosophy? Broaden your mind, woman! It adds years to your life, whereas worry digs your grave!"

With eyes swollen and crimson like bruised plums, Zhu Yueniang spat with venomous hatred: "I refuse to swallow the drivel of a soulless iron-monger like you! You swagger about boasting of the human meat gifted by the old eunuch—have you no shred of human revulsion? What manner of conscience rots inside your chest? You prioritize your own skin while ignoring the slaughter of others, utterly drenched in selfishness! What worth is longevity when your soul is buried in the gutter!"

Shangguan Qingqiu chuckled lightly: "Every man for himself, or heaven and earth will crush him! Why should I bleed sympathy for strangers? We live but a single autumn, and once we kick our legs in death, everything turns to dust—no mortal retains a tether to us. Children, wealth—let them all burn in hell! So long as I draw breath, I shall indulge my comfort. Spare me your moralizing, old hag! Wake up! You have fulfilled your maternal debts to Wenqing; whether he lives or rots is his individual karma! Can we cradle him for eternity?"

Zhu Yueniang wiped her bleeding eyes: "I refuse to waste another breath on a heartless beast like you! Go enjoy your blissful existence. The old eunuch showered you with bronze pipes and human steaks—go beg him for a captured actress to warm your bed, then you can truly claim paradise! As for my son and me, our lives and deaths have zero relation to you!"

Shangguan Qingqiu’s expression darkened into thunder: "Old woman, you push your luck past the brink! Do you possess a death wish? Have you forgotten the walls have ears? Uttering treason against the Shunde Emperor carries consequences you cannot fathom!"

Zhu Yueniang sneered recklessly: "To hell with his imperial majesty! Go run to him as his loyal informant, demand he drag me out to be carved alive so you can enjoy a fresh cut of human steak! What are you waiting for? Why haven't you bolted out the door to report me? I am waiting right here for his executioners! Unlike you, I possess a spine; a few scraps of charity bought your soul, and you're ready to lick the eunuch's boots as your foster father!"

Terrified out of his wits, Shangguan Qingqiu hissed: "I beg of you, keep your voice down! Such loose talk will cost us our heads!"

Zhu Yueniang sighed hollowly: "My life lost all meaning long ago... Oh, my poor Wenqing, where have you dragged your broken bones?"

It was a glacial, sterile dawn. The blizzard had ceased, the winds had died, and a thick blanket of pristine, heavy snow smothered the rooftops and alleyways of Tang Town.

Stepping out of her cottage, Zhu Yueniang stared down at the ash-grey snow, her heart heavy with dread: Could my boy lie buried beneath this miserable drift?

Retrieving a heavy iron hoe from her shed, she set forth to hunt for Shangguan Wenqing.

Adhering strictly to desolate, unfrequented alleys, she combed every neglected corner for traces of her son. Whenever she encountered suspicious mounds or unnaturally drifted snow, she approached with bated breath, gently parting the crust with her hoe to inspect the depths.

Rounding a forgotten corner, Zhu Yueniang drove her hoe into a heavy snowdrift—and struck something hard. Shoveling the snow away, she dropped the hoe with a piercing shriek of pure horror. Protruding from the drift was a greyish-white human thighbone, its surface stripped entirely clean of luster! Whose bone was this? Could it belong to her son? No—the skeletal dimensions were far too massive for Wenqing.

Trembling like a leaf in a gale, she snatched up her hoe and fled in blind panic.

Yet within the span of a single incense stick, she uncovered over a dozen scattered human bones buried across various snowdrifts—collarbones, shoulder blades, ribs, and femurs. It was the most horrifying morning of her life; every bone unearthed drove another spike of terror into her heart, until she finally broke down, dropped her tools, and bolted back to her cottage in hysterics.

Were these the remnants of the foreign missionary, John?

If so, who had scattered his desecrated skeleton across every corner of Tang Town?

Zhu Yueniang was far from alone in her terror. Numerous early-rising townspeople stumbled across identical human remains buried in the snow, triggering widespread panic. The macabre discovery cast an immediate, suffocating shadow over the populace.

When the report reached Li Saogu, color drained entirely from his face. If those bones belonged to John, the implications were catastrophic! He distinctly remembered deploying his squad at dusk the previous evening to fish John’s remains from the boiling cauldron and bury them deep within Wugong Ridge! How on earth had they migrated into every alley of Tang Town? Should Eunuch Li and Li Cilin discover this monumental failure, his head would roll from his shoulders—especially since explicit instructions had mandated burning John's bones to ash. Seeking a shortcut, he had opted for simple burial instead. Stricken with panic, Li Saogu dispatched immediate scouting parties to Wugong Ridge while mobilizing cleaning squads to scour the town and retrieve every stray bone.

Pacing frantically before the gates of the Li estate like a caged tiger, Li Saogu awaited his scouts.

Before the Wugong Ridge team returned, the retrieval squad shambled into view carrying a heavy wooden basket.

Knowing precisely what the basket contained, Li Saogu’s face turned the hue of a corpse. He lunged forward, hissing through gritted teeth: "You incompetent fools! I ordered you to dump these abominations outside the town perimeter, not parade them to my doorstep! If the Emperor learns of this, he will execute the lot of you! Clear them out immediately!"

Only after the laborers retreated past Xinglong Alley did Li Saogu exhale a shaky sigh of relief.

Suddenly, Li Cilin strode out of the main gates, every whisker on his jaw bristling with murderous rage.

Recognizing disaster, Li Saogu forced a stiff, servile grin: "Lord Chancellor, good morning—"

Li Cilin cut him off with a venomous roar: "Good morning your mother's corpse, you useless bastard! Did I not give you explicit operational directives yesterday? You dared act on your own initiative! Do you take Me for an illiterate fool? Let Me make it transparent: I elevated you to power, and I can crush you beneath my heel just as easily! Listen well: run back out, collect every scrap of that missionary's rotted bone, and burn them to ash. Should a single bone remain intact, I will force you and your men to chew and swallow the entire skeleton raw!"

Drenched in cold sweat, Li Saogu bowed until his forehead grazed his knees: "Understood! Absolute obedience, Lord Chancellor!"

"Get the hell out of My sight!" Li Cilin roared.

Li Saogu bolted.

Before he even cleared the West Gate, his returning Wugong Ridge scouts came barreling toward him.

The lead soldier gasped for breath: "General Li... d-disaster—"

Li Saogu snapped irritably: "Spit it out!"

The soldier stammered: "The, the graves we dug... the bones are gone! The pits are completely empty, as though someone excavated them during the night!"

Li Saogu’s heart plummeted into an icy void.

How is this possible? Who on earth would brave the freezing midnight darkness of a haunted graveyard on Wugong Ridge to dig up severed human bones? And even assuming someone did, how bypassed the locked town gates and armed sentries? The logistics defied human comprehension.

Paralyzed by supernatural terror, Li Saogu sprinted out through the gates to inspect the site personally.

As he vanished down the track, a solitary figure watched his retreating back with a cold, mocking sneer.

It was Hunchback Li.

Having overheard Li Cilin’s savage berating of Li Saogu, Wang Hairong was paralyzed by an even deeper, more suffocating terror.

Cowering in the shadows until Li Cilin retreated back inside the estate, Wang Hairong scrambled out of Xinglong Alley and fled.

He dared not cross paths with Li Cilin. Should the commander corner him about the marriage ultimatum to Li Hongtang, how could he reply? Agreeing meant marching to a miserable, suffocating death; refusing meant execution by torture! Wang Hairong had made his bed of thorns. He briefly fantasized about fleeing Tang Town entirely, but having never ventured beyond the municipal borders—combined with his innate cowardice—he had no destination in mind. Should he be recaptured, his fate would be sealed.

Driven to absolute desperation, he sought out his elder sister, Wang Haihua.

Wang Haihua was busy at her hearth preparing breakfast.

Wang Hairong slouched into the kitchen, wearing the visage of the damned.

Having spent the previous night vomiting incessantly after consuming human flesh, Wang Haihua’s face was bloodless, her eyes ringed with dark, bruised circles.

She snapped irritably: "You hold a prestigious post in the Imperial Guard—what brings you crawling to my kitchen?"

Wang Hairong sighed heavily: "Sister, I am a dead man!"

Wang Haihua sneer: "Your wish is finally granting itself; you're about to become Li Cilin’s esteemed son-in-law. Why speak of dying unless you're fishing for sympathy? Relax, even if you mount the dragon throne, I shall never beg favors from you. In times of crisis, one relies solely on a dependable husband!"

Wang Hairong wept: "Sister, you misunderstand! I have genuinely walked into a dead end!"

Wang Haihua cast a side-long, skeptical glare: "Your vocabulary has certainly blossomed since joining the militia! Turning into an aristocrat overnight, shitting gold nuggets, aren't we? Tell me—who is driving you to your grave? Me or your brother-in-law?"

Wang Hairong hammered his fists against his temples, wailing: "Sister, spare me the sarcasm! I am utterly lost, which is why I came to beg for your counsel."

Wang Haihua retorted: "Your affairs are no secret; my husband briefed me on every detail. I know precisely what festers in your mind. Do you imagine your brother-in-law and I haven't sacrificed our peace for your sake? When you first whimpered that you desired Hongtang, my husband humbled himself to propose marriage directly to Li Cilin—only to be cursed off the property like a dog! When the militia formed, we urged you to join; you refused. Later, you threw a tantrum demanding entry, forcing my husband to swallow his pride and beg Li Cilin repeatedly until he finally bought your way in! Now that Li Cilin deigns to notice you, offering his daughter's hand to wipe away past insults, you hesitate and stall! Your arrogance eclipses the mountains! A person requires dignity, just as a tree requires bark; where do you expect my husband to place his face? Do you know what Li Cilin called him? A blind dog for associating with trash like you! He cursed my husband worse than a stray cur! Do you have any concept of how much humiliation my husband swallowed for your sake?"

Wang Hairong stammered: "I... I..."

Wang Haihua cut him off: "I cannot fathom your hesitation! If I were in your boots, I would have snapped up Li Cilin's offer instantly. Hitch your wagon to his power, feast on meat and wine, and let my family bask in the fallout. I know the shallow calculation poisoning your mind: you despise Hongtang because her strange affliction has ruined her beauty! What does superficial appearance matter? Once wed, her illness might miraculously lift and restore her grace! Besides, let's be entirely frank—had Hongtang not contracted her grotesque curse, Li Cilin would never have cast a second glance at a nobody like you! You won the lottery of a lifetime, and yet you whine!"

Tears streaming down his cheeks, Wang Hairong choked out: "Sister, I beg of you, cease! I renounce all wealth and power! I don't want an aristocratic bride; I only want my old, quiet life back, however poor or exhausting it may be! Sister, please, convince my brother-in-law to speak with Li Cilin—I resign from the Imperial Guard! I am willing to labor as a farmhand for the rest of my days, to live and die an unmarried bachelor, so long as I am granted peace. I dare not harbor illusions beyond my station. I accept my fate!"

He dropped heavily to his knees before her.

Incapable of comprehending his panic, Wang Haihua flew into a cold fury: "You—you spineless coward! Neither my husband nor I shall ever lift another finger for your delusions! Go settle your suicide pact with Li Cilin yourself! Get out of my house. From this moment, consider yourself stripped of a sister!"

Lifting his tear-stained face, Wang Hairong stared up at his sibling—his final lifeline had snapped.

Wang Haihua screamed at the top of her lungs: "Get out! I refuse to set eyes on your worthless carcass ever again! You are rotten timber that cannot be carved! Get out of my sight, and never darken my threshold or claim kinship with me again—Out!"

Silently rising to his feet with his head bowed in defeat, Wang Hairong shuffled out of the house.

Staring up into the suffocating, ash-grey sky, his mind dissolved into absolute nothingness.

Meanwhile, Eunuch Li was wrestling with an aesthetic dilemma. He desperately desired a magnificent portrait of himself, to be hung upon the partition wall directly behind his dragon throne within the Baozhu Hall for eternal veneration by the ministers of Tang Town—and to preserve his likeness for posterity long after his death. Consequently, he commanded Li Cilin to source a professional portrait artist.

Tang Town possessed no portrait painters, throwing Li Cilin into a crisis.

Dispatching men beyond the municipal borders risked exposing Eunuch Li’s treasonous usurpation, inviting immediate military intervention and a bath of blood. Current edicts strictly prohibited civilians from crossing the outer perimeter, restricting movement strictly to a radius of several dozen li around Tang Town.

Racking his brains, Li Cilin scoured his memory for any acquaintance possessing the requisite skillset.

After prolonged rumination, zero candidates materialized.

Curiously, however, Li Cilin’s thoughts continuously drifted back to the mournful, haunted eyes of Zhao Hongyan.

In pursuit of his personal ambitions regarding Zhao Hongyan, he had previously probed Eunuch Li on the matter:

"Your Majesty, this humble minister bears a petition."

"Speak freely, beloved minister!"

"This minister wonders... should Your Majesty not install an Empress?"

"Ah... well, that is..."

"Should Your Majesty harbor such intentions, this minister stands ready to orchestrate the selection."

"Whom do you propose?"

"Your Majesty, several maidens within the theatrical troupe possess exceptional grace; should Your Majesty fancy one—"

"What?! You propose elevating a stage actress to Empress? Absurd! Utterly laughable! Regardless of how much We enjoy theatrical performances, in Our eyes, stage players are base, despicable pariahs!"

"Then this minister shall vet respectable gentry daughters for Your Majesty's consideration."

"Enough, enough! Women are engines of catastrophe; grant Us peace in Our twilight years. With Dongzi constant by My side, Our cup runneth over. Never speak to Us of establishing an Empress again! It is idle nonsense; We refuse to hear another word!"

"Forgive this minister's presumption; I shall never raise the matter again."

"Very well!"

"Yet, Your Majesty, one minor request lingers—dare I voice it?"

"Cilin, have We not instructed you that in private audiences you need not stand on ceremony? Speak your mind."

"As Your Majesty knows, my wife vanished long ago with zero hope of return, and Dongzi has been formally adopted into the imperial lineage. I desire to take a new wife and sire heirs."

"That is human nature—entirely proper! We grant our full blessing! Tell Us, is there a specific maiden in your heart?"

"Indeed there is, though I fear Your Majesty may find it scandalous."

"Speak, do not swallow your words; hesitation does not befit your character."

"I... I wish to take Zhao Hongyan as my wife."

"What—?!"

"Your Majesty—"

"It is not Our place to judge your passions, but you are the grand Military Chancellor of Tang Town! In truth, you wield supreme authority—second to none, while Zhu Silver-Mountain serves merely as a decorative puppet. Given your towering status and supreme dignity, marrying a stage actress? Have you no fear of public ridicule? Even if you possess no shame, the imperial dignity demands restraint! Cilin, exercise caution! Securing a virtuous gentry maiden would take a mere flick of your wrist; why debase yourself with a player?"

"Forgive my audacity, Your Majesty; pray treat my words as unspoken."

"Do not harbor resentment, Cilin; We counsel you for your own protection! That being said... the actress in question undeniably possesses a seductive allure. It is hardly shocking that your heart turned."

"This minister harbors zero resentment toward Your Majesty."

Old monster, Li Cilin thought bitterly. Live as long as you are able; once I usurp your throne, I shall crown her Empress regardless of her theatrical origins! I care nothing for your archaic prejudices—I desire Zhao Hongyan, and no woman on earth surpasses her! She shall be mine!

Recalling a detail from his inspection of Zhao Hongyan’s quarters, Li Cilin remembered spotting a portrait painted upon a square of white silk, depicting the actress herself.

Who crafted that portrait?

Hurrying back into the Ruanhua Courtyard, Li Cilin interrogated Zhao Hongyan, swiftly extracting the artist's identity: the theatrical troupe's makeup specialist, Hu Wenjin.

Li Cilin swiftly located Hu Wenjin.

He was a cadaverous man with ash-grey skin and hollow, dim eyes.

Li Cilin noted his fingers—slender, preternaturally long, and utterly incongruous with a man’s physique.

Instinctively repulsed by the makeup artist, Li Cilin nevertheless hauled him toward the Canglong Courtyard to satisfy Eunuch Li's vanity.

Hu Wenjin knelt before the dragon throne.

Eunuch Li drew a delicate snuff bottle to his nose, inhaled deeply, and sneered: "We are informed you possess mastery of portraiture?"

When Li Cilin dragged him away, no explanations had been offered, leaving Hu Wenjin convinced he was being led to the gallows. His legs turned to water as he quaked with terror.

Stammering violently, Hu Wenjin pleaded: "Replying to Your Majesty... this lowly slave possesses no such grand skill. I studied a mere fraction in my youth, but laid the brushes aside long ago to scrape a living. Why has Your Majesty summoned me?"

Eunuch Li replied with casual indifference: "Nothing of critical import. We merely require you to paint Our likeness."

Hu Wenjin turned the color of ash, slamming his forehead against the flags: "Your Majesty, spare me! This slave dares not—I dare not!"

Eunuch Li chuckled: "Why such terror? We have no intention of consuming you! If you possess the skill, prove it. Paint Us well, and monumental rewards await; fail, and we hold no malice. What say you?"

Did Hu Wenjin possess the luxury of refusal? Absolutely not! So long as the rope or the executioner's blade bypassed his neck, he was willing to perform any task demanded. He was currently a sparrow scorched by a cooking fire—a frightened monkey trembling at the sight of slaughtered poultry.

Hu Wenjin accepted the commission.

Mama Wu was dispatched to procure paper and brushes to test his craftsmanship.

As Eunuch Li settled regally into an oversized arm-chair, Hu Wenjin raised his brush and commenced.

Shedding his terror instantly, Hu Wenjin’s eyes cleared of panic, locking into intense, singular focus as the brush danced across the paper.

Dongzi sat in an adjacent armchair, gazing blankly at the proceedings.

Li Cilin stood sentinel behind the artist, his eyes tracking the rapid, fluid sweeps of Hu Wenjin’s fingers.

After a prolonged interval, Eunuch Li smiled toward Li Cilin: "Cilin, escort Dongzi outside for fresh air. He rots in this stagnant atmosphere; even caged birds require airing, or they suffocate."

A flicker of genuine shock crossed Dongzi’s eyes. A tiny spark of hope ignited within his breast.

How deeply I yearn to burst beyond the iron gates of this palace prison!

Yet the spark died instantly as Eunuch Li appended a strict condition: Li Cilin must maintain constant surveillance, ensuring the boy never strayed or wandered unchaperoned. Freedom remained an unattainable mirth; true autonomy felt as distant and precious as the stars.

Once again, the citizens of Tang Town beheld the towering, muscular date-red stallion.

Every soul recognized it as the mount belonging to the murdered missionary, John.

A soldier led the stallion at the vanguard, followed by two sedan chairs carrying Li Cilin and his son. A heavily armed escort brought up the rear. As father and son passed, the townsfolk paused along the thoroughfares, dropping their heads in deferential bows of forced respect.

Only Hunchback Li remained inside his funerary shop, pounding paper horses without lifting his gaze.

As Dongzi’s sedan drifted past the shop, he peered inward, failing to catch sight of Hunchback Li’s face, but noting the massive, burdensome hump upon his back—a grotesque mountain of dead flesh that had crushed the old man’s existence from cradle to grave.

A sudden pang of guilt struck Dongzi: he still owed Hunchback Li silver for the paper horse. He whispered silently into his heart: Uncle Hunchback, I swear I shall repay my debts, doubled and redoubled! Rest assured, I will never default on you!

The convoy swiftly cleared the West Gate, advancing toward the broad, snow-dusted riverbanks.

Prior to their arrival, Abao sat in solitary isolation amidst the withered grass along the banks of the Tang River. Clutched in his palm was the white silk handkerchief inked with Zhao Hongyan’s portrait. He stared fixedly into the crisp, flowing currents, where the murmuring water conjured her hazy reflection, accompanied by ethereal strains of jasmine-scented music drifting down from the overcast sky—the olfactory ghost of her presence.

Dongzi remained ignorant of why his father had dragged him to this desolate expanse.

Yet the moment he spotted Abao sitting with his back turned, he recognized his dearest friend instantly.

Abao’s lonely, desolate silhouette radiated profound innocence and utter abandonment against the winter breeze.

A sharp ache pierced Dongzi’s chest, prompting him to scream at the top of his lungs: "Abao—!"

Startled, Abao whipped his head around. His eyes locked first upon the date-red stallion, whose gaze brimmed with tragic sorrow, before finding Dongzi seated inside the sedan. He noted that Dongzi’s complexion had whitened and filled out considerably. Yet, instead of bounding to his feet with his characteristic explosive joy to hurl himself at Dongzi, Abao tucked the silk handkerchief deep into his pocket, rose slowly to his feet, and faced Dongzi in absolute, unbroken silence.

Li Cilin glowered at his son, dropping his voice to a cold hiss: "Dongzi, pay him no heed. Bear in mind that you are now an Imperial Grandson, elevated far above his station. You belong to a different realm; fraternizing with peasants is strictly forbidden, understand?"

Dongzi offered zero reply.

His father’s words carved a fresh wound into his heart. Yet his eyes remained locked upon his dearest friend, recalling the sacred oath: "You are my brother, my absolute best brother!"

Those were the exact words Abao had once pledged to him.

Abao appeared visibly darkened by the elements and sharply emaciated.

Dongzi wondered what trials Abao had endured of late, and whether he had wept tears of longing identical to his own.

Staring in frozen silence for a heartbeat, Abao raised a hand to wave weakly, calling out: "Dongzi..."

He took a few steps forward toward the sedan.

Li Cilin snapped a cold order to his guards: "Block him! Do not permit the peasant near the Imperial Grandson!"

Two soldiers lunged forward, cutting off Abao’s advance with harsh, unspoken warnings.

A desolate chill settled over the landscape.

Abao froze in his tracks, mouth parted slightly, puffing white clouds of hot breath into the freezing air while his eyes swam with helpless, bewildered sorrow.

After a lingering moment, Abao pivoted on his heel and walked slowly away, vanishing behind a dense thicket of water-willows bordering the river.

Grief crashed over Dongzi like a physical tidal wave. An impassable, terrifying chasm now yawned permanently between himself and Abao—just as an identical chasm severed him from the entirety of Tang Town. Why did his father and Eunuch Li insist on building impenetrable walls around him, isolating him from his peers, his community, and even his own biological sister?

The logic eluded him completely.

He felt a wild impulse to vault from the sedan and chase the path where Abao had vanished, yet his limbs refused to obey.

The party halted at the most expansive stretch of the river flats.

Assisted by two soldiers, Li Cilin dismounted from his sedan.

Though a massive, powerfully built man in his physical prime, he required physical support to stand—a weakness Dongzi found utterly incomprehensible.

Approaching Dongzi’s sedan, Li Cilin extended his hands with a warm smile: "Come, let Father lift you down!"

Dongzi replied with frosty detachment: "Why have you brought me here?"

Li Cilin laughed: "You will understand the moment your feet touch the ground. Today, I shall broaden your horizons."

Dongzi retorted coldly: "I possess my own legs; I require no assistance!"

Hunched over, he scrambled out of the sedan under his own power.

Heavy grief anchored his spirit, rendering him thoroughly indifferent toward Li Cilin, while his eyes lingered obsessively upon the willow thicket where Abao had disappeared.

Could Abao have encountered further misfortune?

The true purpose of the excursion, naturally, had nothing to do with Dongzi; Li Cilin had come exclusively to exercise the stallion. Even had Eunuch Li forbidden family strolls, Li Cilin would have sneaked out regardless to ride the beast, having been delayed solely by the frantic administrative chaos surrounding the coronation.

Li Cilin harbored a deep, obsessive fascination for the magnificent red horse.

Approaching the stallion, he ran his calloused palm over its sleek, oil-slick coat, his eyes burning with an intense, possessive lust—the lust of absolute conquest! The tactile sensation of the animal's hide somehow invoked the fantasy of Zhao Hongyan’s skin. He imagined himself galloping proudly through the commercial streets astride the towering beast, basking in the terrified awe of the populace. Once his equestrian training matured, he vowed never to suffer the indignity of riding a sedan chair again.

Sensing his approach, the date-red stallion emitted a tragic, mournful whinny, tossing its magnificent mane toward the heavens.

The piercing cry vibrated through Dongzi’s core, parting his lips in lingering shock.

The stallion’s defiant shriek only inflamed Li Cilin’s craving for dominance.

Placing his boot firmly in the stirrup, Li Cilin vaulted heavily into the saddle.

Instantly, a booming roar escaped his chest.

Watching from the sidelines, Dongzi reflected that the stallion shared his exact fate—imprisoned, stripped of liberty, and broken by tyranny. He silently prayed that the beast might sprout wings like the paper steed of his uncle You Chengtuo and soar far away beyond the horizon, escaping forever to a realm where Tang Town’s horrors could never reach. He wished the stallion would scoop him up and spirit them both away to an untainted sanctuary untouched by conspiracy, bloodshed, poverty, or sorrow—a paradise blanketed in eternal spring blossoms, radiant sunshine, and profound peace. That should have been his true salvation. Lost in his daydream, Dongzi’s fingers tightened unconsciously around the silver crucifix hidden in his pocket.

The stallion bolted forward.

Li Cilin roared with manic laughter from the saddle.

Without warning, the stallion reared upward on its hind legs, emitting a final, piercing shriek before convulsing violently. With a bucking twist of its spine, it hurled Li Cilin bodily through the air.

Dongzi gasped in horror.

Every spectator froze in paralyzed disbelief.

A sudden, howling gale swept across the flats, churning blinding clouds of yellow dust that swallowed the landscape in an impenetrable fog.

The stallion galloped away into the horizon on flying hooves, its entire physique haloed by an ethereal, enchanting aura of supernatural light.

A desolate, ancient resonance echoed through the open air, as though an unseen entity was calling the animal home.

Within moments, the date-red stallion vanished into the boiling dust storm, leaving zero trace behind.

It lingered in Dongzi’s memory like a beautiful, heartbreaking dream.

Carrying Shangguan Wenqing piggyback, Li Hongtang trudged forward along the rugged, undulating mountain track.

Shangguan Wenqing’s head lolled limply against her shoulder.

He murmured weakly against her ear: "Hongtang... set me down. I can walk on my own."

Li Hongtang replied with tender firmness: "You just lost consciousness moments ago, and your limbs remain rubbery—how could you walk? Have courage, Wenqing; I swear I will carry you safely home!"

Tears spilled from Shangguan Wenqing’s eyes: "Hongtang, I am utterly useless... I bring you nothing but heavy burdens."

Li Hongtang smiled softly: "Do not cry, Wenqing. Who told you that you are useless? In my heart, you are a towering hero! You must know—only two men in this world command my respect as true heroes: my uncle You Chengtuo, and you!"

Shangguan Wenqing choked out: "I am no hero... I am merely the village dwarf of Tang Town—the ugliest, most pathetic creature on earth."

Li Hongtang replied with gentle warmth: "You are a hero! Your heart is pure gold, your courage boundless, and your sense of honor absolute! You are not ugly—truly, in my eyes, you are the most handsome man alive! Do not weep, Wenqing. Are you not the living immortal of Tang Town? Immortals do not shed tears; they radiate joy. You must know—your smile is my greatest solace. When you smile, my heart finds absolute peace."

Through his tears, Shangguan Wenqing managed a fragile, watery smile.

Li Hongtang whispered: "Wenqing, I can feel your smile. I truly feel it. We are both broken souls swept by cruel tides; we must never weep—we must smile and survive! No matter how bitter or harsh the road, we shall smile and live!"

Shangguan Wenqing echoed her vow: "Smile and survive, no matter how bitter the road!"

Dusk descended once more, yet they remained agonizingly far from Tang Town.

The sprawling, silent mountain ranges stretched endlessly into the twilight, indifferent to human suffering or mortal warmth.

Shangguan Wenqing murmured: "Hongtang, another day fades. We must find shelter for the night."

Li Hongtang scanned the wilderness: "There is neither village nor inn in sight; where are we to shelter?"

Lifting his head with agonizing effort, Shangguan Wenqing searched the mountain face ahead.

Moments later, he pointed: "Hongtang, look—there appears to be a cavern near the base of that cliff."

Li Hongtang squinted: "Where? My eyes find nothing."

Shangguan Wenqing whispered: "Advance a short distance further; it is close. I shall guide you."

Li Hongtang nodded: "Very well. Keep your eyes sharp; do not let us miss it."

Shangguan Wenqing murmured: "I am watching intently. Have no fear."

A natural stone cave indeed yawned into the cliffside. Li Hongtang carried him across the threshold.

The cavern was vast, pitch-black, and of unknown depth, harboring hidden perils in its dark recesses.

Daring not venture deeper into the abyss, she lowered him gently to the stone floor.

Shangguan Wenqing struggled to force himself upright.

Li Hongtang demanded: "What are you attempting?"

Shangguan Wenqing replied: "I must forage for dry brush to build a fire, or we shall freeze to death before dawn."

Li Hongtang restrained him: "Your body is dangerously weak. Stay and rest; I will gather the wood! Listen to me—wait right here and do not wander off until I return!"

Shangguan Wenqing collapsed back against the stone, utterly drained of vitality. He failed to comprehend why his physical strength had dissolved so catastrophically, as though his very tendons had been surgically extracted.

Li Hongtang asked with tender concern: "Does your wound still throb?"

Shangguan Wenqing answered: "No pain... truly painless. Do not fret over me."

The mention of his wound twisted Li Hongtang’s heart with acute guilt. That injury rightfully belonged to her flesh; Shangguan Wenqing had sustained it purely to shield her from the mad hound's assault. During their desperate inquiries across the neighboring villages while hunting for You Sisi, a feral hound had suddenly lunged from the shadows. Paralyzed by terror, she had frozen helplessly. In that split-second of mortal peril, Shangguan Wenqing had hurled himself directly into the path of the beast, sinking its jagged fangs deep into his thin thigh, tearing clean through his trousers.

Li Hongtang murmured: "Wenqing, I depart now. Wait for me faithfully."

With that, she stepped back out into the wilderness.

Fallen leaves and dead branches littered the mountain slopes in abundance; gathering kindling proved swift work.

Clutching an armful of dry brush, Li Hongtang re-entered the cavern, calling out: "Wenqing, are you resting?"

Silence answered her.

Pitch darkness swallowed the cavern interior, concealing Shangguan Wenqing from view. She reasoned he had drifted off to exhaustion; her immediate priority was striking a flame to warm him, after which she would forage for additional timber to sustain them through the freezing night. Striking a spark, she kindled the brushwood, casting flickering light across the stone. Only then did she turn to locate Shangguan Wenqing.

His garments lay scattered in a pathetic heap upon the stone floor.

A strange, unnatural mass rested in the remote corner of the recess.

Approaching the shadows, Li Hongtang stared down at the heap—and screamed a blood-curdling shriek of pure, unadulterated horror:

"Ah—!"

--