Zuo Wushang and Zuo Wuji wisely took their leave. Mu Cheng then looked at Liang Xiao, his face filled with relief, and nodded slightly.
"You have your father's demeanor, always finding a way to impress. Son-in-law, Imperial Son, you two come as well."
Qin Feng and his wife were startled but followed resolutely.
Everyone followed Mu Cheng through the corridor of the imperial study's side hall to Mu Cheng's sleeping quarters.
Su Wanqing was tending to her babbling son. Upon seeing Mu Cheng arrive, she quickly rose. Her eyes fell on Liang Xiao behind Mu Cheng, and she was startled.
"Your Majesty, your concubine shall withdraw..."
"No need, you should listen too," Mu Cheng said with a smile.
Su Wanqing felt both anxious and touched, and obediently agreed.
Mu Cheng summoned Ye Chengxiu, the commander of the Xuan Wei, and issued a strict order: "Have Xuan Wei captains guard the sleeping quarters. No one is to approach within ten zhang of the quarters! Son-in-law, you shall assist in the defense."
Ye Chengxiu immediately ran off to make arrangements, and Qin Feng followed.
After a long while, Ye Chengxiu returned to the sleeping quarters to report: "Your Majesty, we guarantee that the surrounding defenses are impenetrable. Not even a fly can get in!"
Mu Cheng nodded with satisfaction and looked at Ye Chengxiu: "Lord Ye, you shall stay as well..."
Ye Chengxiu bowed: "Your Majesty, I am but a simple soldier and should not know too much. Moreover, I must ensure the defenses outside..."
Mu Cheng sighed and had no choice but to let Ye Chengxiu depart.
Liang Xiao silently watched Ye Chengxiu leave the sleeping quarters before turning to Mu Cheng.
"Now, the only ones who can hear my voice are heaven, earth, and those present."
Liang Xiao nodded slightly: "Please enlighten me, Uncle."
Mu Cheng motioned for everyone to sit around, but he himself stood with his hands behind his back, gazing north, his eyes deep with thought.
"I must first tell you a very, very long story."
Hearing the grief in Mu Cheng's voice, everyone's hearts grew heavy, and they listened with rapt attention.
"Back then, the Xiu family held absolute power, controlling the court. Great noble families flocked to their banner. All of my imperial siblings, except for me, were annihilated by Xiu Ping."
Liang Xiao noticed that Mu Cheng had even changed his form of address, no longer using "朕" (zhen - the imperial 'I'), and felt a mix of emotions.
"Only I, a young prince, survived. Xiu Ping placed me on the throne. When I was eight years old, my mother, who was from the Xiu family and held the title of Empress Dowager, suddenly died. From then on, the Xiu family, led by Xiu Ping, seized complete control. I knew I was merely a bird in a cage. I originally sought no stability for the empire, only a peaceful end. Later, I ventured out in disguise. Xiu Ping accompanied me and I chanced upon a woman named Li Xun. We fell in love, but Xiu Ping hurriedly brought me back to the palace."
"How selfish I was then, unable to forget Li Xun. I even issued an edict, 'seeking the old sword from humble times.' But the words 'humble times' stirred Xiu Ping, who felt I was intentionally mocking him. I became even more submissive to Xiu Ping, hoping he would treat our family kindly out of consideration for me being his nephew. But shortly after the birth of my imperial son, the three of them – mother, son, and concubine – were poisoned at night, their orifices bleeding, and died!!"
"As I was overcome with grief, my empress's twin sister – the martial arts heroine Li Pin – arrived at the palace from afar to visit. She proposed that we endure and seek revenge together, even impersonating her sister and continuing to pretend to be the Empress to stabilize the court. Officially, it was announced that the imperial son had died prematurely, and Li Xun was secretly buried."
As Mu Cheng spoke, he slowly walked towards the south wall of the sleeping quarters and gently pushed open a section of the wall, revealing a secret passage.
Liang Xiao looked closely and saw a secret chamber inside, containing a tombstone that clearly read: "Tomb of Empress Li Xun."
So, the real Empress had been buried within Mu Cheng's sleeping quarters all along...
"From then on, Li Pin and I continued to endure. Until one day, Xiu Ping, in court, twisted facts, claiming three million taels of disaster relief funds were only thirty thousand. I was furious and publicly rebuked him for his ambition, ordering him to provide relief to the disaster victims or face severe punishment. Xiu Ping, trembling, apologized, but inwardly harbored resentment, his eyes gleaming with malice. The officials, using a feigned retreat, jointly petitioned to abolish all morning audiences, stating that all major and minor state affairs would be decided by Xiu Ping, who held the posts of Prime Minister and Grand General. I was powerless to object."
"I sensed that the situation was deteriorating. Li Pin and I discussed this. Since there was no one trustworthy in court and the morning audiences were abolished, and I was confined to the palace without any authority over state affairs, we decided it would be best to secretly leave the palace and seek righteous individuals, perhaps there would still be a chance. She disguised me and helped me escape the court. She stayed behind to placate the outside world."
"I thought I was a dragon ascending from its lair, but unexpectedly, midway, I encountered a group of mad, fanatical assassins from the Huichun Sect, and I nearly lost my life. The one who saved me was Liang Anguo, who was traveling in Daliang at the time. I saw that this man was chivalrous and spoke with extraordinary eloquence. My selfish desire was to have him serve me, so I persuaded him to become sworn brothers with me. Yue Hongxiu was present at the time and, finding it amusing, joined in."
"Anguo saw my sincerity and my frail appearance, and could not bear to refuse. He agreed to become sworn brothers, and I became their elder brother. I spent seven days with them, especially with Anguo. Discussing the state of the empire, I discovered his noble aspirations and was overjoyed. However, due to my concern for Li Pin, I chose to return to the palace. Before I left, I revealed my true identity to them. He also confessed to me that he was the 'Unconquerable Sword of the Imperial Dynasty' whom I had personally conferred that title upon a few months prior, and that he had been tracking the Huichun Sect."
"When I returned to the palace, I saw a haggard and weeping Li Pin. It turned out that Xiu Ping had known about my secret departure all along. He pretended not to know and came to the palace, intending to violate the Empress, saying it was to teach me a lesson. Li Pin, as a substitute for her sister Li Xun, in order to avoid exposure and fearing Xiu Ping would trouble me, could only continue to imitate her sister's weakness and was violated by him day and night for seven whole days!!"
Qin Feng and Liang Xiao, who were beside them, clenched their fists, trembling violently. Zhi Rou and Su Wanqing wept uncontrollably, tears streaming down their faces.
Li Pin was Zhi Rou's birth mother.
Even Qin Feng and his wife were unaware of this tragic past!
"The moment I learned the truth, I was filled with regret and nearly descended into complete madness! I broke my arrow and swore to avenge myself, preferring to be shattered jade rather than whole tile!! Fortunately, Li Pin did not conceive Xiu Ping's bastard, but due to Xiu Ping's brutality, she was left with chronic illness and suffered constant pain. I guarded Li Pin every day, fearing she would be bullied by anyone else. My wife and I would rather die than yield. Xiu Ping also had his fears; he worried that if I died publicly in the street, he would not be able to silence the public gossip."
"I also refused to passively await death. I began to push for public appearances. Xiu Ping's men refused. I then threatened to take my own life, finally securing the freedom to go out and restarting the morning audiences, where I denounced Xiu Ping's tyrannical rule. At that time, I had resolved to die, only wishing that the people of the world would remember the history of Xiu Ping's usurpation, so that the Xiu family might have retribution in the future!"
"This matter thoroughly enraged Xiu Ping. He finally began plotting to usurp the throne, intending for me to be assassinated by the Huichun Sect, and then for him to rightfully inherit it. Our marital fate should have ended tragically, but unexpectedly, two young guards dared to inform me, urging me to escape the palace and wait for a resurgence. These were none other than the current Prime Minister of Daliang, Cheng Qing, and the commander of the Xuan Wei, Ye Chengxiu..."
"Thus, I hid Li Pin in her sister's tomb. With the secret assistance of Ye Chengxiu and Cheng Qing, I escaped the palace. Unfortunately, Xiu Ping was just about to come to the palace to find me. Discovering I was absent, he immediately sent people to pursue me. Later, I was discovered by Xiu Ping's men. Because even in disguise, my voice and eyes remained unchanged, I dared not submit to their questioning and could only flee endlessly..."
"That day, I had long given up all hope. My only thought was of my wife, Li Pin. When Xiu Ping's henchmen approached within five zhang, I stopped in my tracks, closed my eyes, and waited for death, no longer wishing to implicate the common people on the street."
"Who would have thought that a shout of killing would awaken me? It turned out to be twelve swordsmen who rushed out from the crowd, their faces contorted with rage. They roared, 'You shall not harm my Emperor!' and fought to the death against Xiu Ping's henchmen. However, I did not recognize these individuals at all, nor did I recall having any particular kindness towards them. Why would they fight to the death for an imperial authority that oppressed the common people..."
Liang Xiao felt the image of Mu Cheng before him blur slightly. It was his own eyes that were moist.
At this moment, he felt he understood, yet perhaps not completely, why his father, as a loyal minister of Daqian, had risked the extermination of his entire clan to achieve the peerless merit of becoming the Northern King of Daliang.