Imperial Weight Chapter 33
Translated by Sylver (ko-fi)
Chapter 33
After Shen Rui awoke, he did not linger long in Jiangling. Following a night of secret discussions with Xingyi, he returned to the capital by carriage the next day and entrusted several letters to informants in the jianghu.
No one knew the final destinations of these letters. Only the route of one was reported by the death-sworn shadow guards of the Jiangling City Lord's Mansion: it was sent to the imperial palace, but its destination was not the Yangxin Hall where officials were received, but rather the "Three Ministries" located directly east of the administrative hall. East for civil, west for military—the Forbidden City had a complex population, and no one knew which of the three ministries—Rites, Personnel, or Revenue—the letter ultimately reached. But one thing was certain: someone in the place closest to His Majesty now knew this dark secret.
That night, Shen Rui said to Xingyi, "The murderers are your birth mother and your younger brother. Back during the succession struggle, His Majesty and the Noble Consort made extensive preparations, keeping only you in the dark. Now mysticism runs rampant throughout the nation, and the First Prince's faction still retains its influence. If they use the name of divine spirits to stage a comeback, who will ultimately rule this realm remains uncertain. I dare tell you this because of your status—though I also know His Majesty has grown wary of you, which surely troubles you."
Xingyi said, "The Empress and the First Prince are already dead."
Shen Rui made a shushing gesture. "I know you don't believe in ghosts and spirits, and neither do I, but as long as the common people believe, then even the dead can be spoken of as living. You're all intelligent people—you must understand this principle. If one day the First Prince's forces stage a comeback, there will be great upheaval in the Forbidden City."
Xingyi said, "Since you're also an intelligent person, you must know the risks involved."
Shen Rui's voice rose, his tone sharp and mocking. "Don't I know? No, I know very well. I am the Junior Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, and from beginning to end, the only thing I know is to thoroughly investigate murder cases. They won't let me investigate, but I insist on investigating. A living, breathing person cannot die unjustly. Why should they be able to treat human lives like grass? Why should evildoers roam free after their crimes? The Son of Heaven who breaks the law should be punished the same as commoners—this saying is no lie."
He smugly pulled out the case files from years of investigation and interviews, presenting them to Xingyi like a treasured offering.
The files recorded that when the Empress fell ill with typhoid fever, her prescription had been switched with a deadly poison. The Empress had known early on that someone had targeted her, though she wasn't clear about the method. By the time she discovered it, it was too late—she was already terminally ill.
At that time, the First Prince Lin Zhao was still a toddling child just learning to speak. The Empress didn't trust the Emperor, so she secretly contacted her natal family and had the First Prince smuggled out of the palace overnight. Afterward, she set fire to her own bedchamber, leaving not even a complete corpse behind. The so-called "First Prince" buried alongside the Empress was actually a cat's skeleton—a cat the Empress herself had raised. During the great fire, this cat refused to leave its master's side and was burned to charcoal along with her.
The real First Prince, Lin Zhao, was taken away by a servant from the Empress's maiden days, given a new name and identity—a very down-to-earth name: "Hu Tianbao," courtesy name Huai Feng. The Hu family did business in the capital and were nouveau riche of the first order. Lin Zhao, bearing this common name, grew into an isolated dandy—upright and kind-hearted, though retaining the particular naivety of those sheltered from the world.
Overall, there was nothing particularly wrong with him. Except for one thing—after Lin Zhao turned eighteen, he suddenly discovered he favored men, and even broke off an engagement with a good family's daughter because of it.
This person lived well until the age of twenty-five, completely unaware that he was actually of imperial blood. When his adoptive father died and his family was left without anyone, he was preparing to relocate the entire household and leave the capital when he was murdered by a young man sent by the current young Emperor.
The method was nothing novel—a honey trap that had been used to death. That young man was said to be quite handsome, a loyal dog at the young Emperor's side. Lin Zhao fell in love with him at first sight, which led to his own death. Until his dying moment, this person never knew why he had to die.
Shen Rui said, "His fate was unfortunate. When that fire burned back then, the Noble Consort had her suspicions. She sent people to seal the city gates and searched all the roads leading out of the capital, never imagining they would dare keep the First Prince right under their noses in the imperial city. His Highness lived peacefully until twenty-five. Even if the throne wasn't his, he should have lived freely and at ease. But unfortunately... they still found him. After his death, they poured a great bucket of filth on him, saying he was lustfully bold, vulgar and foolish. He couldn't leave behind any good reputation; instead, he was mocked by everyone. Those people truly did evil to the utmost, leaving no room whatsoever, insisting that His Highness find no peace even in death, leaving him with a groundless, shameful infamy."
After finishing these words, he fell silent for a moment. As if those inhuman experiences had happened to him personally, they twisted and coiled in his chest and abdomen, growing oppressively, tormenting him until his eyes turned bloodshot.
After a moment, Shen Rui continued, "I've said everything I needed to say. Thank you for saving my life. I came to Jiangling originally to find the old City Lord Xie, but unexpectedly, after years without news, he had already died in battle. His son and that young military strategist still need more experience. Meeting you here could also be considered a form of fate, so I'm telling you."
Seeing his intent to leave, Xingyi drew his long sword to block his path, lips pressed tight. "You cannot return to the capital."
Shen Rui stopped in his tracks, looking at him quietly. "Prince, what is loyalty? When a ruler lacks the Way, he may be overthrown. So the Prince Ziyang who once struck fear into enemy hearts will only submit at his own younger brother's feet, becoming a silent dog?"
Xingyi's gaze was ice-cold. "This has nothing to do with that."
Shen Rui clapped his hands. "Then are you worried about the common people falling into war? Prince, if someone else had your status and knew of such imperial family scandals, their first thought would likely be to seize the throne for themselves. I misjudged you—you truly are a person without heart, without feeling, without desire."
The Junior Minister of the Court of Judicial Review shook his head. "Not the least bit interesting."
There was a somewhat manic quality in his words and actions. Xingyi's sword blocked his path, yet he neither dodged nor evaded. Like a fool, he charged heedlessly toward the sword point. Half his shoulder was pierced through. Shen Rui gripped the blade with his bare hand until it bled. "What I hate most in my life are those who trample on human lives, who think themselves high and mighty and can crush good people underfoot, who can toy with others' fates. By what right? Why should the dead die in vain? By what right do they get to live well?"
A flash of ruthlessness crossed Xingyi's eyes. "There is no fairness in this world. Peace and prosperity are bought with others' blood. Radical remedies are never good solutions. His Majesty's temperament is cruel, suspicious, and stubborn, but he has never erred in governance. The realm is stable—by what right do you seek to shake its foundation?"
Shen Rui turned back. "Then, Prince, you just wait and see. Let me make a wager with you—with or without him, this realm will still be shaken. Because the rumors are not false. That deceased First Prince Lin Zhao has truly returned. Many in southern Fujian have received dreams, saying that after Lin Zhao's death, he became a god. Between a god and an earthly emperor, I wager the divine spirit will win."
His eyes danced with fervent, excited light, like a hysteria patient. "He's a deity now—he's come back!"
……
Shen Rui ultimately left, returning to the capital by fast horse.
The young City Lord and the young military strategist couldn't extract anything from Xingyi. A few days later, however, Xingyi said to Little Phoenix, "Would you like to come with me to southern Fujian?"
Little Phoenix was somewhat curious. "Southern Fujian?"
Xingyi nodded with a smile. "Yes, it's different from here. Male love flourishes there. They acknowledge feelings between men. Many adult men who admire each other become sworn brothers and spend their lives together."
Little Phoenix's eyes widened. "There's such a place?"
Xingyi reached out to pat his head. "Of course, that's not all. You and I held a grand wedding in Jiangling and another in the Miao borderlands. Would you like to go with me to southern Fujian and pay respects to the Rabbit God there?"
Little Phoenix was confused by his words. "What's the Rabbit God? A god of rabbit lords? I only know that people call those who favor men 'rabbits.' People like us are rabbits. They say when men love men, it's debauchery."
Xingyi said, "More or less. In recent years, a legend has emerged. They say there was a lustful rabbit in the capital who secretly admired a certain censor but couldn't have him. He peeped while the censor was using the toilet and was beaten to death for it. After this person died, he was mocked by all the ghosts. The Jade Emperor couldn't bear to watch, so he granted him godhood. In the underworld, he oversees affairs between men, sharing the lunar designation with the Moon Palace Jade Rabbit. He's called the Rabbit God."
"Is that so? Men and women have the Yue Lao Temple to worship at—it seems we should also go worship at the Rabbit God Temple, so he'll ensure we're never separated." Little Phoenix was somewhat happy and somewhat expectant. "But this Rabbit God had it too rough, didn't he? Doesn't this count as a picked-up deity?"
Xingyi rubbed his head again. "I don't know either, my little spouse."
Five days later, they set off for southern Fujian.
Little Phoenix was very happy because Fujian was also an interesting place. He and Xingyi went together to see the arcade buildings, listen to Nanguan opera, and watch the locals perform universal salvation rites, burning gold paper and worshiping deities. Male love flourished locally—pairs of intimately behaving men could be seen everywhere on the streets, and others paid them no mind.
On their first day in southern Fujian, they lodged in Quanzhou. Little Phoenix couldn't understand the local dialect. After trying to learn Heluo speech for a few days, he gave up and relied on Xingyi for everything, following him wherever he went, acting rather like a child. So Xingyi often held his hand as they walked the streets, softly translating what the locals said, telling him stories, explaining the local customs and culture.
They also found the Rabbit Lord Temple. Since legends about the Rabbit God had only recently emerged, there weren't many shrines, but there were some. Inside was enshrined a statue of a ruddy-faced, pot-bellied man, looking quite auspicious.
Initially, neither Little Phoenix nor Xingyi felt comfortable going in first. Only after seeing local men entering in pairs did they hold hands and slip inside like thieves. They learned from others how to offer incense and bow in worship—no different from any other shrine.
Little Phoenix whispered, "Why are deity statues all so plump and jolly? Look, the one up there is even a bit ugly. I wonder if the actual Rabbit God looks like this."
Xingyi laughed. "He should be quite handsome."
Little Phoenix believed him. "Really? Weijian, how do you know?"
Xingyi smiled without answering. Fortunately, Little Phoenix had never been one to get to the bottom of things. His attention easily shifted elsewhere, and he didn't press Xingyi about why he was so certain.
Xingyi had seen a portrait of the Empress. He had no blood relation with this birth mother and had never met her, but he'd heard her story and learned many trivial details about her from the late Emperor. She loved to laugh, had a free and easy temperament, wasn't bound by romantic sentiments, and acted instead with a gentleman's bearing. It was said that back then, all the princes in the palace wanted the Empress to be their own birth mother, because she was also very good to the children.
He was different back then. He thought that someone else's mother ultimately wasn't his own, no matter how good she was, he wouldn't acknowledge her. But his own birth mother didn't love him—the Noble Consort only had eyes for her younger son. However, the Noble Consort didn't neglect teaching her children by example. From a young age, he knew his mother disliked the Empress, so that goddess-like woman didn't leave much of a good impression in his eyes either. Only as he gradually grew up did he slowly shed this prejudice.
The Empress was very beautiful—her beauty was said to be devastating. The late Emperor was also handsome as a jade tree. The First Prince they left behind must also have been quite good-looking. Both he and his younger brother—the current Emperor—were handsome and imposing. Lin Zhao must have been the same.
And such a fine person, merely because he was born into the imperial family, merely because he was cherished by his father, met such a violent death.
Xingyi recalled everything in the deep palace, looking at the grinning Rabbit God statue before him, suddenly feeling somewhat weary.
He turned to find his lover. As if by supernatural compulsion, though both had been kneeling quietly offering incense, at this moment they simultaneously looked at each other. Little Phoenix didn't notice the darkness in his eyes, only happily reached over and hooked his finger.
He spoke as if sharing a secret, "I made three wishes. Weijian, do you want to hear them?"
Xingyi covered his mouth. "If you say them aloud, they won't come true. You'd better keep quiet."
...
That evening, Xingyi told Little Phoenix this story, though somewhat simplified. "Once upon a time, there was a king of a border tribe who, to seize the throne, went so far as to murder his older brother and his brother's mother. Now someone knows about this and wants to settle old scores and overthrow the king who did wrong. What do you think?"
Little Phoenix had always been one to hate evil as if it were his enemy. Without thinking, he slapped the bed. "Blood debts must be repaid in blood!"
Xingyi smiled. "But what if I told you that country now lives in stability, and the king is very capable? He's earnestly being a good king. If he dies, the country will fall into great turmoil, and many other bad people will take advantage of the chaos to do bad things. War and human disasters will come together, and the people probably won't have peace. In such a case, what should be done?"
Little Phoenix was stunned. He scratched his head, thought for a long time, then said, "That's really difficult."
Xingyi let out a soft sigh and pulled him into the blankets, wrapping him up. "I don't find it difficult, Little Fenghuang. It's just that whichever path you take, some people won't understand. If you're going to be the villain, aside from being cursed a few times, it doesn't seem like you suffer too great a loss."
Little Phoenix asked in a muffled voice from within the blankets. "Then Weijian, you'd definitely choose to protect the realm, which means protecting that villain emperor, right?"
Xingyi said, "Mm."
Little Phoenix thought about it, feeling a bit dejected. "That's too difficult, Weijian. If I were that murdered prince himself, or a close relative who loved him dearly, then even if I became a vengeful ghost I'd come back for revenge. But when you put it that way, I also think you make a lot of sense. Either way, though, I support you."
He snuggled over, burying his head in Xingyi's embrace.
Xingyi looked down at the tuft of hair sticking up from the top of his head and smiled silently.
He wasn't without selfish motives.
Choosing this side was merely because among those who might be affected in the realm, one of them was his Little Phoenix.
….
Half a month later, they returned to Jiangling.
The young City Lord of Jiangling returned from the capital, sending a letter—very brief:
[Junior Minister of the Court of Judicial Review Shen Rui was assassinated on his way back to the capital. Deceased.]
