Chapter 41: The Heart of the Past

Chapter 41: The Heart of the Past

At the second hour of the morning, the sky was just beginning to brighten.

Gao An hurried into the grand hall and informed Zhu Yunxuan, "Your Majesty, the Vice Commander of the Imperial Guard is waiting outside with urgent military news."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yunxuan's furrowed brow relaxed. He glanced at the calm Liang Zhen and said nonchalantly, "Prince Zhao is the Commander of the Imperial Guard. If there's something important, why would he need to come to the palace especially to report to me?"

Liang Zhen lifted his gaze to meet his, his voice as tranquil as ever, "Is it today then? Faster than I expected, Your Majesty has quite the strategy."

Zhu Yunxuan didn't respond. Instead, he stood up, "I'm tired. I'll take my leave first. Prince Zhao can handle the matters outside."

After Zhu Yunxuan left for the inner chamber, Liang Zhen arranged the finished bamboo toys along the windowsill. His gaze softened, and he stood in a daze for a moment before saying, "…Let the person outside in."

The Vice Commander of the Imperial Guard rushed in, reporting anxiously, "Your Highness! Two hours ago, Duke Ding and General Jiang of the Southern Camp surrounded the city gates, claiming they want to... support the emperor and clear the court of evil influences. I've already ordered the gates to be closed, not allowing anyone in or out. Please give us your instructions on how to proceed!"

Liang Zhen's expression shifted slightly, "General Jiang of the Southern Camp?"

"It's him," the Vice Commander replied with resentment, "He joined Duke Ding in leading the Southern Camp soldiers to surround the gates. They're shouting outside that Your Highness has confined the emperor with ill intentions, and they're here to rescue the emperor. The situation outside has already become chaotic."

Liang Zhen scoffed. "It turns out to be him. I, the king, have even misjudged someone."

"Your Highness..."

Liang Zhen didn't ask further. He calmly instructed, "Let's enforce martial law throughout the city first. Tell all officials, aristocrats, and commoners to stay indoors and keep their doors and windows shut. No one is allowed to spread any news. Arrest all suspicious individuals. Send the order out, saying it's my command. Duke Ding, He Huailing, and Southern Camp Commander, Jiang Sheng, are rebelling and planning to attack the city. No one should open the city gates for them or convey any messages. Anyone who disobeys will be treated as a conspirator."

"Yes!... Should we summon troops from the Northern Camp?"

Liang Zhen shook his head. "It's useless. Don't you know the character of that Commander Wang in the Northern Camp? At this point, he'll only hide in his camp and prioritize self-preservation. Even if I were to go and request his aid, he wouldn't come out."

In the inner chamber, Zhu Yunxuan held a hand warmer by the window, gazing at the bleak winter scenery bathed in the faint morning light in a daze. Liang Zhen entered, took the cloak hanging on the screen, and draped it over his shoulders. "It's cold outside, Your Majesty. Don't stand in the wind. Didn't you say you were tired? Why are you still standing here?"

Zhu Yunxuan came back to his senses. With a complicated expression, he looked at Liang Zhen. "It has come to this, yet you're still unwilling to surrender your military power proactively?"

Liang Zhen smiled faintly. "Your Majesty, since we've reached this point, we might as well see the play through to the end. If I confront Duke Ding and the others, and they later break into the city to save you, my guilt as a traitor will be sealed. You can then rightfully deal with me, wouldn't that be perfect?"

"You don't stand a chance," Zhu Yunxuan reminded him coldly.

Liang Zhen sighed. "Your Majesty, you still don't trust me. Do you think I'm desperately trying to cling onto power?"

"It doesn't matter whether it's true or not. Once they breach the city gates, your fate will be sealed."

Zhu Yunxuan replied coldly, "You're right. I never expected that person to be Jiang Sheng. He was indeed nurtured by your hand, but when he first enlisted, he owed his life to General He."

Liang Zhen nodded. "So all those times you were angry in front of me were just an act, just to keep me from suspecting anything. He was the man left behind for Your Majesty by Duke Ding, and I was the one who misjudged him... There can't be many like him in the capital, can there?"

If not for this, Zhu Yunxuan would not have had such a difficult time these years, forced to rely on Liang Zhen.

Back when Emperor Zhao Yang needed He Huailing to defend the borders but also feared his growing power, after He Huailing left the capital, almost all of his loyalists were removed from their positions. Some were transferred to insignificant provincial posts, while others were dismissed for various reasons. Jiang Sheng was one of the few who managed to escape this purge. Back then, his rank was low and he went unnoticed. Later, he pretended to defect to Liang Zhen, gradually climbing up to become the commander of the Southern Army Camp.

It was precisely because of this that he managed to deceive Liang Zhen and gain his trust.

"Your Majesty, when you first ascended the throne, I advised against promoting Duke Ding's confidant to the position of Commander of Qiongguan and suggested sending someone from the capital instead. I truly had no ulterior motives. You initially disagreed but later agreed. Was it because the Southern Camp had an opening, providing an opportunity to elevate Jiang Sheng to Deputy Commander?"

Zhu Yunxuan did not respond, implying his agreement. Liang Zhen smiled bitterly. "So you had been planning this even back then. After Zhang Can and Liu Qizhong's incident, it was only natural for Jiang Sheng to take the position of Commander. With control over the Southern Camp, you no longer intended to tolerate me... Indeed, Wang Bingzhong, the Commander of the Northern Camp, is a fickle opportunist. He wasn't that loyal to begin with. If the Southern Camp were still under my control, he wouldn't help you against me. But if you've already regained the Southern Camp, he wouldn't risk his life for me. Thus, you were confident that even if the Southern Camp laid siege, the Northern Camp wouldn't make a move until the situation was settled, and you wouldn't have to worry about them causing chaos."

"...Since you already know, why bother saying more?"

Liang Zhen narrowed his eyes slightly. "Your Majesty, are you absolutely certain they can enter the city? The Southern Camp has a hundred thousand troops, but there are fifty thousand defending soldiers within these walls. With the advantage of the city's defenses, if this minister were to refuse to open the gates, it might take three or even six months for them to breach the city."

Zhu Yunxuan replied calmly, "So what if they can't enter? You're merely fighting a desperate battle. Your only leverage is this emperor himself."

"Does Your Majesty not fear that this minister might choose to kill you before they arrive, or even go down with you in mutual destruction?"

Zhu Yunxuan turned away, falling into a long silence before whispering, "...You won't."

Liang Zhen gazed at him in stillness, the light in his eyes fading completely. "I see now, I see... Even this minister's heart, Your Majesty has calculated into your plans."

Zhu Yunxuan made no attempt to refute this. From the beginning, he had staked everything on a desperate gamble, placing himself in the most perilous position. Liang Zhen might be unable to escape, but he could kill Zhu Yunxuan first. The most likely outcome of such a move would be a mutually destructive confrontation between them. Yet, Zhu Yunxuan knew that Liang Zhen wouldn't slay him. No matter if he was captured without resistance or driven into a corner, Liang Zhen wouldn't take his life. It would only be Liang Zhen who would meet his end.

Liang Zhen could slaughter everyone in the world but couldn't bear to harm him.

This was something Zhu Yunxuan hadn't known or believed before, but now, it was too late for him to accept it.

With an anguished voice, Liang Zhen said, "Your Majesty relies solely on the fact that this minister is fond of you."

Zhu Yunxuan closed his eyes briefly. "I have never been afraid of death. Back then, it was you who refused to let me die, and that sealed our fate for today."

"By Your Majesty's words, this minister is even more reluctant to open the city gates. Does that mean I have one more day to stay by Your Majesty's side for each day the gates remain closed?"

"No more," Zhu Yunxuan shook his head. "Liang Zhen, you can't escape. He Huailing and the others will be here soon. You have no way out now."

Liang Zhen understood. "Does that mean Your Majesty has another strategy in place? Even if this minister doesn't willingly open the gates, they will still find a way in, and swiftly, correct?"

"Yes," Zhu Yunxuan's voice was cold and firm, reminding Liang Zhen of his impending doom.

Liang Zhen stepped forward, encircling Zhu Yunxuan's waist and pulling him close. Lowering his head, he brushed his dry lips gently against Zhu Yunxuan's. "What if this minister were to seize Your Majesty and flee right now?"

Zhu Yunxuan was taken aback. "…Once you leave this city, you will have nothing. Even if you manage to take me with you, all you'll gain is a lifeless corpse… In the past, you could threaten me with my brother and the people of the kingdom. But once you step out of this gate, there will be nothing left to hold over me. At that point, I will choose to end my own life."

Liang Zhen stared unwaveringly at Zhu Yunxuan, searching for even the slightest hint of hesitation or reluctance on his face. "Does His Majesty truly despise this minister so much? All these years… Have you never felt the slightest affection for me?"

Zhu Yunxuan lowered his gaze, his eyelashes fluttering gently. After a moment of blankness, he murmured, "It's all in the past now. What's the point in discussing it further?"

Liang Zhen's heart trembled, and he pulled Zhu Yunxuan tightly into his embrace.

Zhu Yunxuan remained still, as if lost in a memory of that snowy night many years ago when Emperor Zhaoyang had banished him. He had knelt in the snow from dusk till dawn, half-conscious and delirious, until someone had reached out to catch him—just like this embrace. It was the only warmth he had experienced in the palace after his brother had left the capital.

Once upon a time, he believed that being accompanied by a beauty like a blossoming flower was the most delightful prospect life could offer. However, the first shadow to stir his heart was the one he ought not to desire, the one he could never allow himself to think of.

Tormented by the bounds of morality and ethics, he repeatedly held back and refrained from taking action. It wasn't until that person lifted their mask, revealing a hideous true face, demanding his dignity as the price for their favor.

They promised that if he obeyed without question, pleasing them, they would help him attain everything he desired. He became nothing more than a tool for their indulgence, subjected to their every whim, with each demand growing more excessive.

Time and again, he attained what he sought but lost his true self in the process under the relentless pressure.

There had never been a pure love between them. Liang Zhen's affection for him was veiled within an unbearable grip of control and possession, enigmatic and unfathomable. As for his feelings towards Liang Zhen, those emotions that once tormented him incessantly had long been drained away by the other's wanton disregard.

In the end, survival of the fittest was the most fitting conclusion for their tale.