Hongzhi Year 18, Seventh Day of the Second Month.
Zhu Houzhao didn't sleep all night.
He flipped through Liu Jian's memorial again and again, added few lines on it. I sitting beside, refilled his tea three times, he didn't drink once. Sky almost bright, he closed memorial, tucked in sleeve.
"Go."
"Where to?"
"See Father Emperor."
I paused. Hongzhi Emperor. His father. That person approving memorials while sick, seeing ministers while coughing, holding whole world in deep palace.
"Now?"
"Now."
We crossed long corridor. Sky not yet bright, palace lanterns still lit, orange-red light spreading on ground, like a river. Zhu Houzhao walked front, pace faster than usual. I trotted two steps catch up.
"You nervous?" I asked.
"No."
"You walk so fast, still not nervous?"
He slowed down a bit, but didn't speak.
Qianqing Palace. Hongzhi Emperor's sleeping palace.
Door stood two eunuchs, seeing Zhu Houzhao, bowed. One wanted go in report, Zhu Houzhao waved hand, pushed door in himself.
Palace very dark. Windows shut, curtains drawn, only bedside lit a lamp. Lamp light dim yellow, shining on that thin person on bed. Bedside still few memorials, half approved, red brush placed on inkstone, ink traces not yet dry. Approved halfway, coughed couldn't approve anymore.
Hongzhi Emperor leaning on pillow, body covered thick quilt. He thinner than last time saw. Cheekbones protruding, eye sockets sunken, back of hand blue veins bulging, skin thin like old paper, could see blue blood vessels underneath. But eyes still bright. Seeing Zhu Houzhao, mouth corner moved.
"Came?"
"Came." Zhu Houzhao walked to bedside, didn't sit.
Hongzhi Emperor's gaze shifted to me, paused. I knelt to bow, he waved hand.
"Get up." His voice very light, carrying wheeze. "Zhen remember you. Crown Prince's arm, you treated."
"Is." I stood up, stepped back to side.
He nodded, didn't say more. Gaze back to Zhu Houzhao. That gaze carrying something indescribable—not blame, nor praise, but a kind of "I knew you would come" calm.
"Speak." he said.
Zhu Houzhao took Liu Jian's memorial from sleeve, handed over.
Hongzhi Emperor took it, unfolded. He read very slow. Slower than Liu Jian reading letter. Page by page turn, character by character read. Palace quiet enough to hear lamp wick burning sound, zi zi, like someone sighing.
Seeing end, he closed memorial, placed by bedside. Closed eyes, silent long time.
"Liu Jian," he said. "Is old minister."
"Is."
"Hongzhi Year 1 entered Grand Secretariat. Sixteen years."
Zhu Houzhao didn't speak.
"He do things, always have measure. This time…"
"This time no measure." Zhu Houzhao finished for him.
Hongzhi Emperor opened eyes, looked at Zhu Houzhao. Mouth corner moved, not smile, but that "you still so direct" expression.
"You think, how dispose?" he asked.
"Strip post, investigate."
"Then what?"
"Should kill then kill."
Hongzhi Emperor looked at him, long time. Then he coughed. Not that light cough, but violent, churning up from chest, whole body trembling. Zhu Houzhao stepped forward, held his shoulder. I standing behind, watching Hongzhi Emperor cough posture, heart silently assessed. Phlegm sound heavy, surging up from deep, like something blocking trachea. Breathing rapid, intercostal muscles using force. In my original world, this need back patting to drain phlegm, maybe need oxygen. But here nothing.
I subconsciously stepped forward, stopped. This not where I can intervene.
Hongzhi Emperor waved hand, indicated fine. He panted few breaths, leaned on pillow, face whiter.
"Kill people," he said. "Easy. After kill what?"
Zhu Houzhao didn't speak.
"Liu Jian's students,遍布 (bian bu) court. Kill him, those people what to do? All kill? Court who manage? World who govern?"
"Then not kill?" Zhu Houzhao's voice somewhat hard.
"Not kill." Hongzhi Emperor's voice very light, but very steady. "Strip post, let him return hometown. Those fake medicine matters, he carried himself, don't implicate others."
Zhu Houzhao didn't speak. I saw his fingers clenched.
"You disagree?" Hongzhi Emperor asked.
"He killed people." Zhu Houzhao's voice not high, every word like nail. "Four died, thirteen lying down. Strip post then done?"
Hongzhi Emperor looked at him. Didn't answer immediately. He extended hand, took a list from under pillow, placed on quilt. List paper already somewhat wrinkled, corners curled, like been flipped many times. He not prepared today. He waited long time.
"Liu Jian yesterday entered palace." Hongzhi Emperor said, voice very flat. "He came himself. Knelt one hour, said everything."
Zhu Houzhao paused.
"He left, Zhen let him go back wait for decree." Hongzhi Emperor looked at Zhu Houzhao. "Then Zhen knew, you today would come."
Zhu Houzhao didn't speak. He looked down at that list, didn't pick up.
"These his students, but not involved case." Hongzhi Emperor said. "You go see them, tell them—Liu Jian matter, ends here. They just do job well, Zhen won't pursue."
"This let me go buy hearts?"
"This let you pacify world." Hongzhi Emperor looked at him, gaze carrying very deep weariness. "You Crown Prince, future Emperor. Emperor can not afraid anyone, but can't not afraid world chaos."
Zhu Houzhao clenched fingers, slowly loosened. He looked down at that list, then looked at Father Emperor's hand on quilt. That hand thin like withered branch, blue veins bulging, fingernails white. When coughing just now, this hand gripped quilt corner, knuckles white, like grabbing last straw.
He took list, folded, tucked in sleeve.
"Liu Jian," he suddenly said. "He knelt one hour?"
"Mm."
"You said what?"
"Zhen said, Zhen know."
Zhu Houzhao silent a while. He stood by bedside, looking at Hongzhi Emperor. Long time.
"Father Emperor," he said. "You tired ba."
Hongzhi Emperor smiled. Mouth corner twitched, like used big strength.
"Tired." he said.
Zhu Houzhao bent down, tucked his quilt corner. Movement very light, like afraid break something. His hand touched quilt, Hongzhi Emperor's hand moved, like wanting grab something, then shrank back.
"Then I go."
"Go."
Zhu Houzhao turned to walk out. I followed behind. Walking to door, Hongzhi Emperor called him.
"Houzhao."
He stopped. Didn't turn back.
"That palace maid," Hongzhi Emperor's voice very light. "You still bring her?"
"Mm."
"Trust her?"
"Trust."
Hongzhi Emperor didn't speak. After a while, I heard a very light laugh.
"Go." he said.
We walked out Qianqing Palace. Sky already bright, sunlight shining on glazed tiles, golden, dazzling eyes can't open. Zhu Houzhao stood on steps, looking distance, silent long time.
"You just now," I said. "Tucked quilt for Father Emperor."
"Mm."
"You before also like this?"
He didn't answer. After a while, suddenly said: "He thinned."
I didn't speak.
"Last time saw him, not this thin." He paused. "Only few months."
Wind blew through corridor, made his clothes flutter. I stood beside him, didn't know what say.
"Go," he said. "Go see those people."
"Now?"
"Now."
He walked down steps, pace neither fast nor slow. I followed him. Walked few steps, he suddenly stopped.
"Lizi."
"Mm?"
"You say, my Father Emperor do like that, right?"
I thought. "Right for court."
"For dead people?"
I didn't speak.
"Chen Er. Zhang Da. Wang Wu. Li Si." He named one by one, voice very light, like afraid people hear. "And one more, I don't know his name. His fingernails were black."
He stopped, clenched sleeve. Fingers tightened, then loosened.
"I promised them, investigate to end."
"You investigated."
"But not end." He turned around, looked at me. Sunlight on his face, his eyes very bright. He looked at his palm, then closed. "Liu Jian not dead, his students still here. Those fake medicine, will they come again? Those soldiers, will they eat fake medicine?"
I didn't answer.
He looked at me a while, suddenly smiled. Not that mouth corner twitch light laugh, but another—like person stood in rain long time, finally decided walk forward.
"Go," he said. "First do what can do."
He turned and walked. I followed behind, watching his back. Sunlight stretched his shadow very long, stretched to my feet.
I walked in his shadow, step by step.
He recited those five names sound, I still remember. That sound, different from what I heard in emergency room. Emergency room sound panicked, scared, too late. His sound not. His sound, is remembered.
(End of Chapter 26)