Chapter 40

Shao Qing was stricken with horror, bursting through the tent curtains in two swift strides—only to see Wei Jing with bloodshot eyes, his cheeks twitching slightly, a fine sheen of sweat emerging on his forehead, and a bloodthirsty look as if he were about to devour someone. He had once again succumbed to that frenzied state—this time even more intensely than before.

“Madam? …”

“Go down first!”

Han Xi’s words were cut off as Shao Qing glanced at Wei Jing and then silently withdrew.

“Husband, you must not do this.”

Though she had only caught fragments of the conversation, Shao Qing immediately grasped the crucial point. With her heart pounding wildly, she rushed to Wei Jing’s side, panic-stricken: “You absolutely must not act like this!”

Wei Jing slowly lowered his head to look at her, studying her intently for a moment as if only now recognizing her; his Adam’s apple bobbed heavily a few times.

“I have no choice but to do this.”

“Ah Qing, next year the Yellow River will surely breach its banks.”

This nation—rotten to its very core and still mired in frequent unrest—cannot withstand such a crushing blow. A great upheaval is imminent; he must capture Anyang County before it begins, for once the initiative is lost, revenge may become unattainable.

“Do you know? Today is the commemorative day of my imperial elder brother—he died at twenty-four.”

In the dim light, Wei Jing’s face remained expressionless like a statue; his hoarse voice grated against the ears like coarse sand.

“And just as on this day last month, today is also the commemorative day of my imperial nephew.”

Shao Qing froze. She knew that the former crown prince’s legitimate eldest son was born in autumn—though she didn’t know the exact day. That six‐month‐old child, the crown prince’s firstborn, had even been cradled in her arms. The former crown prince had been rather unfortunate with his offspring; several of his children had perished, and it was only with great difficulty that he had this one again.

Alas, alas…

“Before I set out to campaign, I even held him.”

The infant, only recently born, looked like a little monkey—ugly, very ugly—a tiny bundle curled up. Its unbelievably soft body had amazed him.

Her elder brother, however, was all smiles, exclaiming that the child looked truly fine and was robust in build. Later, in the letters exchanged between the brothers, this “ugly monkey” occupied large portions of the correspondence. They wrote about how he had gone gray, gotten chubby, and even started smiling; in the final letter, it was said that he had just learned to sit, urging him to come back and take a proper look, reminding him not to forget his uncle—and to hurry in having another child.

“But alas, I never saw him again.”

That little child, who had carried so much joy, sadly died. Not long after the crown prince “committed suicide, overcome by guilt,” he—along with all the women of the Eastern Palace—set themselves ablaze.

The scorching burns from those raging flames must have been excruciating, right? But sadly, when that ugly monkey cried, there was no longer a father by his side to console him.

Wei Jing looked upward, and a single tear slid down from the corner of his eye.

“I must have my revenge!”

Bone-deep hatred gnawed at his heart, and Wei Jing trembled all over. He panted roughly, his murderous intent emerging in full force.

His face was set in a cold, severe expression. He withdrew the arm that had been grasped and turned to leave—but Shao Qing quickly grabbed him.

“Even if it is for revenge, you cannot ignore the people’s suffering!”

Tears streamed down Shao Qing’s face as she listened. Though everyone present felt the pain, she still could not agree: “What have the common people done to deserve this?!”

“There is no causal connection between the two.” Clutching his sleeve tightly, she whispered, “Have you forgotten that you once protected the common people for five years?!”

Wei Jing shuddered all over and abruptly turned back. “So what?” he countered in a hoarse voice. “Besides you, does anyone else remember?”

The very people he had once defended with his flesh and blood now willingly cooperated with the soldiers to surround him.

That searing, heart-wrenching anger surged again, and Wei Jing seethed with hatred: “They have long forgotten; all they care about are bounties of ten thousand gold and the granting of noble titles.”

Breathing rapidly, he once more tore Shao Qing’s hand away.

“They don’t know the truth!”

Each word dripped with the bitter irony of a man betrayed by those he once vowed to protect.

Shao Qing ran out from the outer study room and dashed toward the door. Unfortunately, Wei Jing’s strides were long and swift—she simply couldn’t keep up.

“Have you forgotten Ji Huan, Han Xi, Zhang Yong, and Chen Qi? And what about the others—those who forsook everything to follow you? Have they forgotten you, too?!”

“Your elder brother cares deeply for the world. Would he want to see you like this? And when you, someday, lie beneath the nine springs, how will you face your maternal uncle?!”

Shao Qing’s tears fell like rain as her heart ached with sorrow, accompanied by a deep, lingering sense of powerlessness and confusion.

Suddenly, a thought struck her—could she really dissuade that man, whose heart was burning with hatred, from his course?

Overwhelmed with emotion, her old ailment flared up again; her mind throbbed painfully, and her vision darkened into a dizzy haze, forcing her to clutch a corridor pillar and come to a stop.

When she was sinking into despair, Wei Jing suddenly halted. Overjoyed, Shao Qing rushed toward him despite her pain.

“Let’s think of another way, shall we?” she pleaded, fearing he might walk away, as she urgently clutched him.

“But what other way is there?” Wei Jing turned around, his dark eyes flushed red and glistening with moisture. He murmured, “This is the only way.”

“There must be another way. Let’s think again—aren’t Gaoling’s salt ships stopped for at least a day? Let’s give it some more thought; there has to be another option.”

She looked up at him, her face streaked with tears. They stared at each other for a long while, and finally, he nodded.