Chapter 9: All Those Years Ago

"To what does this servant owe the honour of an evening summons by Your Majesty?" 

The young man seated behind his desk in Tianlu Pavilion raised his head. 

"You know why this sovereign called you here tonight." It wasn't a question and Liu Suzhi knew as much. He supposed he could count as a loyal eunuch who had served for two generations in the inner palace and for rather personal reasons, he had a far better gauge of the temperament of emperors than most. 

Emperor. The ultimate symbol of power, prestige, and luxury in the eyes of the ignorant fools who craved to be near to them, as wives, as concubines, as trusted officials and confidantes, believing that the sanctity of the supposed 'dragon spirit' would rub off on them too. 

Liu Suzhi knew better. He'd been thoroughly doused in such 'dragon spirit' before, had been so thoroughly knotted into the ties that had bound him to the emperor who had fucked him in the dragon bed and then died in the dragon bed after Liu Suzhi helped another to poison him to a slow but inevitable death. 

It had just been a favour, no need to mention it. 

He shook his head and let out a languid sigh, marvelling at how much this boy before him had changed. When the crown prince had finally become emperor, Liu Suzhi had assumed that he would morph to fit the role, which he had, to a certain extent. He had shown his true mettle, his resolve had hardened even as it had broken the carefree soul that had been struggling to stay alive underneath the weight of his responsibilities, but this was just another tragic tale from within the maws of the imperial city, one of many and nothing to write home about. 

A bad emperor could be useless and heartless, Liu Suzhi had experienced this firsthand. But a good emperor had to be heartless. 

Or so Liu Suzhi had thought. But now, eyeing this young liege of his, he wasn't so sure anymore. 

"This sovereign has no time to bandy words with you," Liu Yao muttered. "Presumably, you've already heard about what happened earlier today?" 

Liu Suzhi sauntered over to present a lackadaisical bow before leaning against the edge of the emperor's desk with a casualness that concealed the low boiling of anger that simmered in his chest when he heard that Xiao De had been taken into the Department of Careful Punishment. Although no one in their right mind would go against the emperor's orders to withhold torture until further orders, this reassurance operated on the caveat that the fools stirring the waters were in their right minds in the first place. 

Noble Consort Li he didn't have much to say about; she was an unfortunate pawn of her family with personal delusions of grandeur and now was the time for the emperor to pluck the weeds in his flower garden. But he knew fully well what the empress dowager was capable of. Even if he had no intention to assist Lord Yue, even if the emperor hadn't called for him, he would have shown up tonight anyway. Knowing how that woman felt about him, Xiao De might not last the night. She was petty enough to exact her misguided idea of vengeance on an innocent, helpless servant if she thought she would be able to hurt him this way. 

Not knowing that Liu Suzhi had long since forgotten what pain felt like and wasn't sure he could anymore. 

He reached into the folds of his sleeves and retrieved a slip of parchment, handing it over it the emperor with a simple flick of his fingers. 

"Months ago, right after you first summoned your precious Lord Yue to perform his duties, he reached out to me for assistance." 

The emperor's countenance darkened as he heard this—Liu Suzhi could guess why and he rolled his eyes inwardly at the idea of such silly possessiveness—but the look was swiftly replaced as he began to read the message Lord Yue had sent to Liu Suzhi about the crafting of the replica, the one Liu Suzhi was supposed to destroy but hadn't. 

"This was sent to you by Lord Yue?" the emperor asked. There was an odd hoarseness to his voice that caught Liu Suzhi's attention and he narrowed his eyes and scrutinised the emperor for any clues as to what had produced this effect. Despite his slight loss of composure, the emperor was as inscrutable as ever, except maybe for the way his gaze burned into the parchment so fiercely that Liu Suzhi was surprised it didn't ignite. 

"Indeed, is something wrong, Your Majesty?" he asked lightly, reaching out to ask to have another look at it but paused when he noticed the emperor's hand tightening around it, like he wanted to clutch it in his hold and keep it close to him but was afraid that it would crumple. 

How interesting. 

Swiftly changing tactics, Liu Suzhi pretended he hadn't been paying attention to the emperor's unusual behaviour. "This servant has a copy of the records of the order this servant sent to the craftsman this servant hired on Lord Yue's behalf." He paused. "As well as a receipt for the hefty sum paid. Shall this servant present that to Your Majesty as well?" 

He expected the emperor to admonish him or perhaps ignore that last sentence entirely but instead, what he received was a taciturn nod. "You may." 

Liu Suzhi straightened up and truly regarded the emperor properly for the first time since entering the room. After a short moment of locking stares with the dragon, bolder than any servant had the right to be, Liu Suzhi let out a soft laugh. 

How far the mighty have fallen. Well, in this case, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. For Liu Suzhi, who had watched this boy grow up from the corner of his eye, a little less imperial demeanour and a little bit more humaneness wasn't a terrible outcome. 

"Your Majesty must have called me here for a reason," he said, cutting to the chase now that he had some of the answers that he sought. Should Lord Yue survive this ordeal, his future was more promising than Liu Suzhi had anticipated. He hadn't made a poor bet when he chose to entrust Xiao De to his care. 

As for Xiao Fu…he could consider what to do about Xiao Fu later. 

The emperor hummed. "The Eastern Depot sent back a report on the interrogation results so far. The maid in-charge of the incense, the eunuch from the imperial buttery, and even the retired soldier working in the imperial hunting grounds, their confessions all point back to Lord Yue." 

Liu Suzhi raised an eyebrow. "Even the soldier from the hunting grounds?" 

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"Mm. He insists that he owes his allegiance to Yan Guozun and resents this sovereign for a tyrannical execution of the Yan Family." The emperor's lips flattened. "And that he was helping Lord Yue exact his revenge against this sovereign." 

It was such an obvious setup; if the soldier were as loyal as he claimed to be, then why would he betray the only heir of his benefactor in such an eager sellout? But the beauty in this ploy was how effective it nonetheless was; although everyone who wasn't a halfwit would be able to pick up on the dichotomy of the soldier's behaviour, the seeds of doubt were easily sown, especially in one who needed to be as paranoid as an emperor did. Whoever had engineered this entire scheme had been counting on His Dear Majesty to suspect his favourite concubine. 

Liu Suzhi couldn't blame them. He wasn't sure what was going through the emperor's mind but it didn't matter as long as their agendas matched. 

"Why should Your Majesty concern yourself with such trivialities?" Liu Suzhi murmured. "You don't like their confessions? Amend them." 

The emperor shot him a sour look. "This sovereign doesn't believe in…" he trailed off, his brows furrowing into a deep frown. "But they didn't play fair first."

Liu Suzhi's nod was encouraging, his smile full of charming wiles. "Is it worth being honourable now, Your Majesty?" 

"…the empress dowager has an eye on the case, is more than likely involved in this somehow." 

Liu Suzhi didn't question the emperor's suspicious relationship with his birth mother. It would be one of the biggest taboos for him to voice his speculations, second only to if he were in doubt of the emperor's blood relation to his father.

That wasn't a matter he wanted to involve himself in. 

"The best way to solve a problem is to nip it in the bud," Liu Suzhi said calmly. He waved a hand in the general direction of the rafters, seemingly at nothing, although they both knew about the sharp blades that lurked in the shadows awaiting a command from their master. "Your Majesty's network has ways and means, doesn't it? If they can't learn to speak the truth, then they don't deserve to speak at all. And as we all know, dead men can't talk." 

The emperor's dark eyes met his. "Yes but the extent to which this sovereign can openly go against the dowager is limited by the boundaries of filial piety. You, on the other hand…" The 'have always been a thorn in her side, what's one more time?' went unsaid. 

Liu Suzhi's lips curled and he dropped all formalities as he leaned over the desk to peer down at the emperor, audacious in a way that would have Head Eunuch Cao frothing at the mouth should that pompous lout be present to see it. But there was no anger in the emperor's response, only a stately tranquillity that was reassuring. 

"What's in it for me, Your Majesty?" he said, in the tone of one used to 

"If you solve this for me, this sovereign will grant you what you want. You know an emperor's word weighs as much as nine cauldrons (1)." 

Liu Suzhi's heart skipped a beat. Finally. After so many decades, he could have the certainty he'd sought for so long. It wouldn't be long now before he could be free. The emperor was offering him a much-desired reprieve, was willing to risk his hold over the north by sacrificing the only bargaining chip he had against Great General Pan and by extension the army he held command over.

Of course Liu Suzhi was going to take it. He was just marvelling at how important this Lord Yue, whom he'd chosen almost on a whim, had become to this young emperor in such a short period. 

When he had a bit more time on his hands, it would be worth discovering just what it was about Lord Yue that the emperor seemed so enamoured by. He did have a face that even Liu Suzhi couldn't help but admire, the sort that could fell kingdoms with a well-placed glance, but the emperor had never stuck Liu Suzhi as one who would cave at the sight of beauty. He dearly loved to know, just for the sake of satisfying his curiosity, if nothing else. 

Later, though. 

"This servant shall hold Your Majesty to your word then," he said with a bow that was more sincere than the one he had entered with. "In which case, this servant shall take his leave to fulfil Your Majesty's commands." 

As he was about to back out of the room, he heard the emperor call after him again. 

"Liu Suzhi." It was the first time the emperor had ever called him something apart from 'Liu Gonggong'. Liu Suzhi took care to conceal his surprise. 

"Yes, Your Majesty?" 

The emperor appeared hesitant. "If this sovereign…permitted you to go to the front line, would you wish for that?"

The front line, where he stood at the head of Great Ye's army, his tall back like an insurmountable wall to keep the invading barbarians away from the poor towns on the borders of the north. The north was barren and its people had toiled for generations to prime the land and had laid down roots so strong that they would rather die than flee it. Liu Suzhi still received messages, sent by the same falcon each time, who really had no business stealing the jobs of carrier pigeons. In the tiny wooden capsules holding brief words from far-off lands, their writer painted a picture of a bleak landscape, where no amount of the emperor's good intentions had been able to balm the wounds caused by war and poverty. 

Liu Suzhi had never replied to any of those messages. But he fed the falcon well each time, to entice it to remember the way back to him. 

But aloud, he cocked his head at the emperor and smiled as he said, "Why would this servant want that? To leave my luxurious Wushan Abode for a life of suffering? This servant understands that Your Majesty is well-meaning but not every story can have a happy ending."

He let out a quiet laugh before walking off into the night.

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