The rain which had poured down incessantly for several months finally deigned to stop for a rest. The next day, the sunlight was brilliant, and the people rushed around to spread the news that the heavens had shown concern for the Great Jin dynasty by not allowing the unwarranted calamity to continue.
The flood waters had damaged homes and farmlands. From the time the sun rose, both the young and old in the capital city were busy repairing houses and restoring damaged shops. Even so, there was still joy on their faces, for this was an opportunity to start anew.
At a corner of the most prosperous street in the capital city, the formerly splendid Grand Councillor fu was now covered with a faint layer of dust. Within the space of a night, the crimson doors seemed to have lost their lustre, never again to regain their glory. Two seals were conspicuously affixed to the dragon’s head lock[1], a shocking sight to anyone who glanced at it.
[1] 龙头大锁 (long tou da suo) – lit. dragon’s head big lock. An ancient form of padlock; it seems that many of them had elaborate designs.
There was hardly any traffic outside the doors; never again would there be the hustle and bustle of many visitors. Piled up on the ground were the rubbish and wreckage washed in by the flood waters. On looking at all this, one would only feel how dirty and messy everything was. Occasionally, a passer-by would glance at the scene and contempt would show clearly in his eyes.
Raising a private army, intending to rebel – even if the person involved were a member of the royal family, in the hearts of the common people, this would still be a heinous crime, utterly beyond redemption. Besides, Li Dong customarily relied on power and deception to deceive the masses, and the common people had long ago come to regard him with a bone-deep hatred. Now, watching him fall into dire straits, they finally found relief for the hatred they bore, and cursed him with all the evil that a vile person deserved.
On the other hand, the Guan family soldiers and the Zhao family soldiers who had apprehended the rebel army were regarded favourably, especially Zhao Yi and Jiang Xin Zhi of the younger generation. As a result of the flood situation, their fame had skyrocketed, and their names were on almost everyone’s lips.
The rebel army had been dealt with, the flood situation was under control, and the capital city had resumed the serenity of its former days. There was a certain degree of stability after the calamities had passed.
However, in stark contrast to the happiness of the common people in the capital city, the prison was dampy and gloomy. The jailors who guarded the doors were like devilish fiends, hefting their swords as they made their rounds, and turning a deaf ear to the moans of the incarcerated criminals.
This was the place for criminals who had received the death penalty- those who had committed major crimes. Once a person entered this place, there would be no opportunity to gain freedom.
In the innermost room in this prison, three prisoners in prison garb were sitting on hay. Although all three of them were clearly in distressed circumstances, at one glance, it could be seen that they were men of high rank who were accustomed to living privileged lives, for every movement was imbued with arrogance. These were Li Dong and his two sons.
Big-bellied Li Dong’s originally snow-white prison uniform was so filthy that one could no longer discern its original color. He looked incredibly fretful and impatient, and shrieked at Li An, “This is all your fault. Think of a way out, quick!”
Li An did not move a muscle. He shut his eyes, as if he had never heard his father speak.
Li Dong’s heart was full of anxiety, but he was helpless to do anything. Whatever could be said in court had already been said. Unfortunately, this time, the Emperor was unshakeable in his resolve to deal with him. If everything had been as usual, it would simply have been a matter of bribing the officials with some silver, but this time, not a single high-ranking official would accept his pay off. In actual fact, the Grand Councillor fu had been searched and its contents seized, and his concubines, who had heard whispers of the search long before the actual event, had carried away the rest of the assets and escaped. Now, there was nothing left.
He leaned back, unable to repress the anger, as well as the fear, that welled up. His entire life, he had wielded power and always achieved success – if he wanted the wind, he would get it, if he wanted rain, he would get it. Now, he had been shackled and thrown into prison, and faced his end by decapitation. Li Dong had always feared death, and at this moment, he was even more unwilling to die, thus making a supreme effort to claw a way out of his predicament. He could only depend on Li An; Li An was highly intelligent and could surely think of a way to escape their dire situation. However, this time, Li An had disappointed him.
Li Yang looked at Li An beside him and sneered. He had always known that Li An was intelligent and a deep thinker. In fact, he really dreaded Li An’s ability and wisdom. However, Li An was also a born eunuch, and he was full of contempt for Li An in his heart. Now that death was close at hand, he hardly cared about concealing his loathing for Li An and spat out, “You freak of an incompetent bungler[2]!”
[2] 成事不足败事有余 (cheng shi bu zu, bai shi you yu) – (idiom) unable to accomplish anything but liable to spoil everything.
Li An blocked his ears, refusing to listen. However, an image surfaced in his mind, that of the faintly smiling face of a young girl. Her words still rang in his ears, every word a curse that sent him plunging into an abyss.
In the prison, his mind slowly cleared, and Li An was able to carefully sort through the events and finally see the clues tying everything together. From the very first time Li Yang had gone to the Jiang fu to meet Jiang Su Su and been castrated, they had already fallen into Jiang Ruan’s trap.
Li Yang’s situation had only been a prelude, Jiang Ruan had clearly always intended to deal with the entire Grand Councillor fu. Li Dong, Li Yang, and even Li An himself had unwittingly walked straight into the ending that Jiang Ruan had designed for them. Jiang Ruan had calculated everything. He even had the ridiculous idea that Jiang Ruan had long known about the Chi Lei army and his physical defect, but had carefully orchestrated events so that, in a dramatic flourish, his trump card of the Chi Lei army would become her final weapon leading to the collapse of the Grand Councillor fu.
How could there be a person like this in the world?
Li An’s heart constricted. He had always been clever and conceited, and all of Jiang Ruan’s strategies were gradually becoming clear to him. There was just one thing he could not understand despite having puzzled over it for a long time.
That was – why had Jiang Ruan done all this?
What was her motive for doing all this? Since she had given the Grand Councillor fu no leeway to manoeuvre, she must undoubtedly have made them her enemies long ago. But he had sent people to investigate, and there had been absolutely no reason for her vicious actions.
To do all this for no reason? Was it possible?
Li An was so caught up in his thoughts that he did not realise that the jailor had disappeared at some point.
When he finally became aware of the eerie silence of the surroundings, his intuition started to prickle, and Li An wrenched his eyes open to see two masked men clad in black approaching them slowly.
He swept his gaze over the surroundings but saw no trace of the jailor. Li Dong and Li Yang noticed the black-clad men and said, in pleasant surprise, “Brave sirs[3], are you here to rescue us?”
[3] 壮士 (zhuang shi) – hero, fighter, brave strong guy.
The two black-clad men wordlessly strode to the cell door. They produced two keys which they had procured from who knew where and set about silently opening the door.
Li An watched their movements closely, a trace of suspicion flashing in his eyes. The only person he could think of who would attempt to rescue them at this moment was Eighth Prince, Xuan Li. However, although Xuan Li looked gentle on the surface, he was actually cold-hearted. If someone was beneficial to him, then he would naturally entertain that person thoroughly. If there was no advantage to be had, then he would simply discard him. The Grand Councillor fu had now been charged with the intent to rebel, and was considered the thorn in the Emperor’s side. Anyone with even the slightest connection with the Grand Councillor fu would be the Emperor’s enemy henceforth. With Xuan Li’s temperament, he would rather sacrifice his rook in order to save his king, so how could he have sent people to rescue them?
Before he could voice his suspicions, Li Dong and Li Yang had already stood up, their burning gazes fixed upon the two black-clad men. After the two men had opened the cell door, one of them moved without warning, reaching out both hands to grab Li Dong and Li Yang, while the other man shoved something into both of their mouths.
While Li Yang and Li Dong stood rooted to the spot, completely taken aback, the men had already done the same to Li An, making him swallow the same pill.
Li Dong did not know what to think and stared at the black-clad men suspiciously. “What do you think you’re doing?”
One of them said, coldly, “Just something to make you quieter.”
After that, he said nothing else, and executed a sharp downward blow to the back of Li Dong and Li Yang’s necks. In the blink of an eye, Li Dong and Li Yang toppled forwards. When Li An saw this, he knew that something was wrong, but he had no time to react before he felt something cold on the back of his neck. His mind went blank and he lost consciousness.
