Gone Forever

"Azure Dragon, Ling Twelve, set off for the Northern Peace Kingdom tomorrow. Protect Oriental Qingyu at all times. Ling One, you are to arrange for two of the Twelve Slayers to protect Huangfu Zijun, and two to protect Aunt Yuzhen. As for Vermilion Bird, she will remain by my side. The mission begins tomorrow; just as we have trained for years on the island, there is no room for error."

"Understood, we take our leave."

The great hall suddenly felt empty. Only Afu remained, waiting quietly.

"Walk with me for a while. It has been a long time since we walked together in such peace."

"Certainly, Princess."

Over the years, Afu has transformed from the maid who loved to slack off in the palace into the steady woman she is today. Most of the time, she has been the one raising my child. If it were not for her gradual growth, the sudden arrival of a child would have left me completely overwhelmed.

"Do you remember the year you came to me?" I turned my head to ask her.

"I remember. I was wandering the streets that year, and the Empress discovered me and brought me into the palace, to your side." The backstory I had invented for her back then was not entirely a lie; it was based on her true experiences, though not a perfect copy.

"All these years, I never asked if you still had family. I didn't dare to ask, because I loved having you as my little maid, and I feared that if you had family, you would be taken away."

"Silly Princess, there is no one left."

"Afu, do you miss Lingyun Kingdom? Do you miss Arong? We haven't returned in a long time. It is time to go back." As I spoke, I looked toward the distant direction of Lingyun Kingdom. Although I could see nothing, I stared stubbornly nonetheless. The heart of a wanderer, fallen from an exalted Grand Princess to someone hunted, must return once the capital has been amassed.

"I wish to accompany the Princess."

"The baby is my life. I do not want him to wander and bear as much as I have. If you are not by his side, I don't think he will be obedient, and I will not be at ease."

"Very well, the Princess is right. I will take the young master and wait for the Princess to return in triumph."

"Afu, perhaps after tomorrow, my hands will be stained with the blood of countless people. I will step over the corpses of many to take back what is mine, step by step. I will be a person of heavy sin."

"Since the Princess has already decided, why worry about sin or no sin? The fire that engulfed the palace during the coup that day, with countless people screaming—the sin was already committed then, wasn't it?"

"Indeed, that fire was immense."

I stared into the distance, muttering to myself. Fireworks bloomed in the sky, beautiful, making me unwilling to look away.

"Afu, the box and the key I gave you a while ago, throw them away. They are no longer needed." They were originally prepared in case Li Yexuan did not know of the baby's existence and identity. Now that he knows, there is no need to keep them.

"Understood. The night is growing chilly; the Princess should return to rest. Tomorrow, I fear, will be a hard battle."

"Yes."

Supporting each other as we walked back, I wished this path had no end, greedily drinking in this moment of tranquility.

The next day, before the dawn had fully broken, I rose. I tied all my hair up high, changed into black men's clothing, and waited quietly for Zijun's arrival.

It was not long before Zijun and my aunt arrived.

"Zijun..."

"Aunt, little brother, if you are ready, let's depart."

"Let's go."

I stepped out of the gates of Fantian Pavilion without looking back.

Soon, our group arrived at the outskirts of Lingyun Kingdom. Although it was the outskirts, Fantian Pavilion had long since infiltrated the interior of Lingyun, and before long, many of our members were there to meet us.

We waited quietly in a manor on the outskirts until nightfall, the time agreed upon with Gu Teng. The three of us in our party all wore masks.

"Reporting to the Pavilion Master, they have arrived."

"Invite them in."

Gu Teng walked in at the front, followed by about twenty people. Once they entered, the door was locked. All servants were dismissed.

"Pavilion Master, they have been brought." Gu Teng said respectfully, handing the palace jade and silver bracelet to me.

"Greetings, Pavilion Master," the twenty-plus people bowed respectfully.

"Thank you all for the hard work of traveling through the night."

As soon as I spoke, everyone reached to their necks and tore off their human-skin masks.

These people were all officials from the Lingyun imperial court, recruited by Fantian Pavilion over the past five years. For five years, Gu Teng had followed my requirements, traveling to Lingyun repeatedly to win hearts. Whether they were people with grievances who couldn't advance, or those sidelined due to family connections, it was Fantian Pavilion that had saved them and led them to their current brilliance. Of course, several were already members of Fantian Pavilion, my subordinates. The Lingyun court had been largely replaced by me years ago.

Naturally, these people had also sworn oaths of allegiance to Fantian Pavilion; otherwise, we would not have intervened.

"We were all saved by Fantian Pavilion. It is time to repay that debt. You are too kind, Pavilion Master."

The background of every person here had been meticulously investigated by Fantian Pavilion. For over five years, they had been shadowed by our agents; the moment anything improper was discovered, they would have been discarded.

"Coming here today, I wish to ask you all: what do you think of the current Lingyun Kingdom?"

"This..."

"Speak freely."

The one in the lead, likely the current Assistant Minister of the Supreme Court of Lingyun, stepped forward. "The Emperor is young, the Empress Dowager holds absolute power, and the Murong clan has practically usurped the entire court."

"You must be Assistant Minister Ren of the Supreme Court. I wonder if the rest of you feel the same?"

"Yes..."

"The current Left Chancellor is the former Minister Du Huai from six years ago, and the Right Chancellor position is occupied by Shao Aotian of the Liang clan, who has an extremely close relationship with the Empress Dowager, isn't that so?"

"Yes. Were it not for your order that we avoid meeting or contacting one another, we would have..."

Over these five years, these people had periodically sent me information and asked for my further instructions; a certain rapport had been established.

"I want you all to support me in installing a new Emperor."

"We have thought of this, but it seems there is no one left of the Huangfu clan..." Because of their obsession with imperial power, the Murong clan had nearly wiped out the entire Huangfu clan years ago.

"If I were to tell you that Huangfu Zijun, the Crown Prince, is still alive, would you still be willing?"

I felt the shock ripple through the twenty-plus people. My sharp gaze caught their eyes; if anyone had ulterior motives, they would not be leaving this room.

"We are willing." The response was unanimous and firm. No need for killing today.

"After you leave today, do nothing. Do not contact each other. If a palace coup occurs, I believe you all know what should and should not be done. Disperse now, and be careful."

"Yes."

"Minister Ren, stay behind."

"Yes."

After everyone else had left, Minister Ren looked at me with some confusion.

My lips parted, and I spoke clearly: "The Prince of the Emperor descends to the northern isle, my eyes are clouded with sorrow for him. The wind is soft, the waves of Dongting rise, and the leaves fall. I climb the white reeds to gaze afar, hoping for a meeting at dusk. Why do the birds gather in the duckweed, and why is the net cast upon the trees?"

He froze, staring fixedly at me.

I walked up to him and slowly removed my mask.

"What, don't you recognize me, Brother Ren An?"

"Grand Princess, you are alive! This is wonderful..."

He grabbed my shoulders in excitement, but realizing the impropriety, he let go immediately.

"Yes, it is me."

"You are actually the Pavilion Master of Fantian! I have been searching for you all these years, but I had no word of you. I never believed you could have really perished in that fire."

"This is my aunt, Princess Yuzhen, and this is Zijun."

"They are all here."

The two behind me also removed their masks.

"Ren An pays his respects to the Princess and the Crown Prince."

"Is your father well?"

"The Princess knows my father?"

"Yes, though we have not met in many years."

"In the coming days, I shall bring my father to pay a visit."

"Let us wait until everything is settled."

"Zijun, this is Brother Ren An, who often looked after us when we were young. Do you remember him?"

"Of course I remember."

"You are the Crown Prince now, and you have grown so much; I barely recognized you."

It was like a reunion. Ren An was clearly moved.

After my aunt and Zijun went to rest, I walked Ren An out. We walked through the pitch-black night.

"Six years have passed in a blink. I thought you were no longer in this world."

"But here I am, aren't I?"

"Zijun, have you been well all these years?" Ren An pursed his lips. "Listen to me, how could you have been?"

"Am I not standing right before you, safe and sound? I heard you recently had a second son with Yuan Wanyu. Congratulations..."

"Zijun, I thought you, so I..."

"I know, Ren An. There is no need for such formality between us. I also know you had your difficulties. Besides, years ago, we already knew we were not meant for each other. Come to think of it, your eldest son is not even as old as my son."

I smiled at Ren An.

"You married? Whom did you marry?"

"I did not marry. I ended up with a child by mistake."

"Whose child is it?" Ren An suddenly turned serious and grabbed me.

"Li Yexuan, the Regent of Yuehua Kingdom. The child is with him now. I have my own mission."

Ren An let go of my hand.

"Li Yexuan—he is indeed a match for you."

"Returning this time, I am determined to take back what belongs to me."

"I will help you."

"I know."

"Alright, we have walked far enough. You should stop here."

"Wanyu and I were once friends; we grew up together, in a sense. Brother Ren An, you should treat her better in the future."

Ren An paused slightly, nodded, and departed under my gaze, not forgetting to put his human-skin mask back on.

His back looked somewhat lonely. Those days of youth were truly gone, never to return.