Chapter 18: 18

No shame before Heaven, no shame before man.

 

***

 

　Just as the boy was about to toss the imperial jade seal in his hand into the ocean tide, a voice suddenly interposed from behind him, “It has been three years. Has the Young Emperor been well? Wang Jin kowtows to the Young Emperor.”

 

　The boy’s hand paused. He slowly turned his head.

 

　From the dimness of the night emerged a figure, of which boasted an aquiline nose and a long face, dressed in ordinary clothes and a small blue cap. He had claimed he would offer a kowtow, yet he simply bowed in a rather lackadaisical fashion with a shadow of a smile on his face. His eyes glimmered beneath the moonlight, the ice-cold gleam in them akin to a snake’s poison. Amidst the night scene, he looked even more daunting.

 

　The boy’s expression transformed most minutely, and only when his shoulders shifted did the man utter once again, “Young Emperor, if you dare jump into the sea or throw what you are holding, that young lady from the Zhen family will end up no better than the Jin family. You are already aware of my methods.”

 

　His tone of voice was rather morose and unnerving.

 

　The boy’s figure froze.

 

　Wang Jin had always been somber and unobtrusive, but right this moment, as he examined the frame of the boy before him, he could not suppress the ecstasy surging in his chest. His eyes shone even brighter.

 

　”If the Young Emperor obediently returns with me, I will promise not to make things difficult for you, and I will swear to Heaven that I will not touch even half a finger of the Zhen family’s. If you disobey, Heaven will strike them dead! Interestingly enough, the Zhen family has also contributed greatly this time. Had it not been for the young lady of the Zhen family, I’m afraid you, Young Emperor, would have long been gone by now.”

 

　If this boy, once the Young Emperor Xiao Yu, had been chucked to the sea by the Jin family and became fish feed, it would doubtless have incurred some grave dilemma. How else could they retrieve the imperial jade seal the Tianxi Emperor had been yearning for even in his dreams?

 

　Who could have imagined that Xiao Yu had hidden it in a place like this?

 

　Xiao Yu slowly turned around and faced Wang Jin.

 

　”Young Emperor, you never would have guessed that all this is a trap I, Wang Jin, had set up, would you?”

 

　His ploy this time truly heightened his self-satisfaction, and he could not help but reveal an ill-concealed smirk of triumph.

 

　”Young Emperor, you are very clever. After escaping by sheer luck that year, you went so far as to hide in a place like Quanzhou. In the South, the land is vast and the emperor is far away, while in Quanzhou, crooks coexist with honest folk. Searching for a person who has done his utmost to conceal himself truly is no better than looking for a needle in a haystack. But you have underestimated me. To sniff you out the past few years, I dispatched countless men masquerading as sailors and laborers to scour all areas in the South where you might have been hiding. Heaven did not disappoint! Finally, last month, I was informed that someone had spotted a mute teenage boy that resembled you in the Jin family’s shipyard in Quanzhou, so I personally hurried all the way here. It didn’t take much effort to learn that the Zhen family had taken you in when you were on the verge of death. I could have dragged you away, but that time, I was still uncertain whether or not you were the Young Emperor. After all, your appearance ought to have changed with every passing year, and you had assumed the character of a half-wit so well that you almost deceived me. I knew that, if you were the Young Emperor and I had taken you away like that, I would have only the person with me, but this seal……”1

 

　He glanced at the object in the boy’s hand and could not help but swallow a gulp of saliva. It was as if glory and wealth were waving to him from right across.

 

　“……it probably would have been difficult to get you to speak, so I orchestrated a ploy. I deliberately released news about looking for unregistered teenage boys and seized the Jin family to punish them. Sure enough, this had alarmed you. You left in secret, but before that, you naturally could not forget this precious seal of yours.”

 

　”Young Emperor, you are quite clever, but in the end, you still lack experience. Though you’re not at fault……”

 

　His sight was transfixed on the object shimmering under the moonlight, and he advanced towards the boy step by step. He stretched out his hand and coaxed, “Young Emperor, hand it to me! After all, His Majesty is your uncle. You may return with me, but you can no longer become the emperor. You must have suffered a lot hiding under filth these past years. You should also know that not everyone in this world is as fortunate as you. You must return. What’s not great about becoming the Prince of Great Peace and living the rest of your life in tranquility and stability?”

 

　Xiao Yu was taciturn for a moment, then he suddenly sneered, “It must have been hard for Second Imperial Uncle. He has become the emperor, yet every time he had to do the heaven worship ceremony the past few years, he must have felt in his heart that he wasn’t qualified enough, did he not? Well, Heaven had already snatched my life away a few months ago. He had already claimed the throne, so what’s the use of latching onto this thing? Since he wants it, then might as well hand it to him!”

 

　He hurled the imperial jade seal at Wang Jin, and the seal drew an arc in the air. Ecstatic, Wang Jin caught it with one hand and stuffed it into his rucksack. He went on, “Young Emperor, come with me as well. So long as you do not escape, I swear I will never make things difficult for you.”

 

　Xiao Yu revealed a wintry smile. With a twist of his wrist, a dagger appeared in his hand. Beneath the moonlight, the edge of the blade gleamed, its tip like frigid snow.

 

　Wang Jin was brought to a standstill. Xiao Yu’s expression turned proud and cold in an instant. “I’d rather end my own life than have someone else do it! Once I’m dead, you can cut my head off and take it with you. Second Imperial Uncle will probably feel relieved. Quanzhou’s Zhen family and I have no special connections whatsoever. The sun and moon can attest; the heavens and gods can attest. After my death, if you break that oath you just professed, you will not end well!”

 

　He had once been the Son of Heaven reigning above the four seas, yet he had fallen on the muddy earth, now mingling with the humblest of the lowly. Still, at this very moment, his eyes were so clear and profound that even Wang Jin felt a tremor in his heart. He could not dare to look straight at him and slowly lowered his head.

 

　Xiao Yu turned around and faced the limitless, pitch-black night sky out of reach in the far north. With a solemn countenance, he performed three kowtows and nine bows. He then sprung up and stood erect.

 

　Beneath the moon’s illumination, the boy’s visage was elegant and melancholy, his eyes resolute.

 

　He closed his eyes and gazed up at the starry sky above his head. With a piercing light, he swung the dagger towards his throat, already imagining how blood would spatter until three feet away. Right this moment, the wind brought with it a voice, “No shame before Heaven; no shame before man! Wang Jin, you are now a fourth-rank military guard and a promising figure of the Jinyiwei, but if I remember correctly, in the tenth year of Tianxi’s reign, you ranked thirty-sixth in the 24th imperial provincial examination on military arts. Only thirty-five people were selected, so you had fallen short. The late emperor had gotten wind of your filial reputation——that you could not bear to leave your mother alone in the countryside and thus brought her with you to the capital for the imperial exam. Eventually exhausting all your finances, you, mother and son, were compelled to spend your nights in bridge apertures; you begged in markets for leftovers, endured your own hunger, and immediately returned to proffer them to your elderly mother. Your filial conduct had so moved the late emperor that he deviated from custom and elevated your name to the list of successful passers. This marked the beginning of your official career. The late emperor had been kind to you, first as a monarch, then as a teacher. Times have changed, and Prince Shun’an is now the emperor. Failing to remember the late emperor’s kindness can be condoned, but to actually go so far as to terrorize the late emperor’s flesh and blood like this for your own glory!”

 

　”Wang Jin, have you no shame before Heaven? Have you no shame before man?”

 

　It was dark all around. The sea tide was raging and hissing, and the night wind squalled. Every single word from that voice entered their ears along with the breeze. Xiao Yu and Wang Jin heard it together, and it filled both of them with agitation.

 

　Xiao Yu opened his eyes and jerked his body around to follow the sound, seeing——not knowing when he had gotten there——a man standing a few feet from the edge of the seawall, garbed in robes the color of dusk. If one did not look closely, it was almost as if the figure was one with the darkness.

 

　”Who’s there?”

 

　Wang Jin drew his blade as he thundered.

 

　The man turned a deaf ear and simply strode towards Xiao Yu. Finally, he stopped before him and shielded the other behind himself.

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　He turned his head towards Xiao Yu, who was staring at him with eyes stretched, and spoke, “After so many years, does Your Majesty still remember me? You were still the crown prince when I left the capital, and if I correctly recall, you were only about six or seven then. The last lesson I taught you was Wang Sunman’s translation of The Commentary of Zuo. I remember that back then, you had not been able to hand in your reading notes in time.”

 

　His voice was gentle, his tone neither too fast nor too slow. The moon’s glow revealed the elegant face of a young man.

 

　Xiao Yu’s eyes abruptly spread open. He exclaimed, “Teacher!2 You’re Teacher Pei!”

 

　The man gave a humble smile and nodded, “That’s right. Pei You’an arrived late. Your Majesty has suffered.”

 

　Right this instant, the boy’s eyes burst forth in immeasurable exhilaration and radiance.

 

　He was appointed crown prince at the age of three and started studying at the age of four. After his childhood pre-education, his imperial father, the Tianxi Emperor, had selected several teachers for him, and his favorite among them had been Pei You’an, who was only fourteen at that time.

 

　”Teacher, where have you been all these years…… those reading notes, I had already written them back then. I waited for you, but you never came to read them for me…… later when I inherited the throne, I searched everywhere for you, yet no news of you came. I thought you had……”

 

　He rushed towards Pei You’an, choking back sobs.

 

　Pei You’an gently patted him as a sign of reassurance.

 

　”Pei You’an? Pei You’an! Is that really you? Why are you here?”

 

　Wang Jin finally recognized him and glared at him with undisguised malevolence. His voice sounding rather strange, he yelled at him with an expression of shock across his whole face, “What guts you have! His Majesty has been on the throne for three years. The country is at peace, and every position in court has been filled. Are you trying to blatantly defy the law? A wise man submits to circumstances. As long as you serve His Majesty, with the talents you possess, His Majesty will definitely place you in an important position once again. If you obstinately persist in your errant ways, are you not afraid that I will return and report to His Majesty, implicating everyone in your Pei family?”

 

　Pei You’an returned, “Do you really think I will let you walk away alive tonight?”

 

　His voice was still placid, but the chill in his tone was strikingly evident.

 

　Wang Jin was flabbergasted. He looked him up and down, then scoffed, “Pei You’an, you are a little too cocky. I know that you had learned swordsmanship under a great master to strengthen your body and followed Grand Duke Wei to the battlefield in your youth, but for you to want to kill me, I’m afraid you must be dreaming.”

 

　Pei You’an gave a faint smile and stared intently at him. “Who says I must do the killing myself?”

 

　Wang Jin’s complexion slightly altered. He jolted his head from side to side and gave a sharp whistle.

 

　The whistling was over, but there was still no movement from all around. Only the sound of the sea tide and the blustery wind assailed his ears.

 

　”No need to look around. All your men are dead,” declared Pei You’an.

 

　Wang Jin gritted his teeth. He drew his blade and rushed towards Pei You’an, his body as swift and fierce as a hawk. In the twinkling of an eye, he was only a few steps away, but another figure suddenly came darting towards Pei You’an. The wind carried with it a bellow of laughter, along with the words, “Eldest Young Master is correct! Wang Jin, those underlings you brought with you have all been wiped out by my brothers!”

 

　This man had an imposing stature and a deep voice, sounding like that of a middle-aged man’s. A mask had concealed his face. The moonlight revealed it to be a faint color of copper, exposing only two eyes, rather peculiar in appearance. In a flash, he had already sped right in front of him.

 

　Wang Jin was once again taken aback. “Golden Dragon King?”

 

　The Golden Dragon King was a prominent pirate leader who emerged suddenly in the South seas in recent years. He gathered people and occupied islands, garnering enormous influence at sea. However, unlike those pirates who robbed and killed at every turn, which made seafarers gnash their teeth in bitter hatred at the very mention of them, the Golden Dragon King only collected protection fees from merchant ships who traversed the waterways that were under his purview. Once included in his protection, the safety and security of those merchant ships would be guaranteed. Rather than taking a detour and risk being pilfered and slaughtered by other pirates roving about, ship owners were willing to pay protection fees to the Golden Dragon King to ensure their smooth journey. Even local authorities could do nothing about him. Because he never revealed his true face and often wore a mask forged from brass, seafarers had awarded him the epithet “Golden Dragon King”.3

 

　That man laughed and said, “You also know who I am? Why should Eldest Young Master use his own hands to kill someone like you? That’s what I’m here for.”

 

　Wang Jin clenched his teeth in rage, pulling out his knife to launch an attack. After a scuffle, a blood-curdling scream erupted. The hand with a knife in its grip had actually been chopped off mid-battle, and the severed hand flew out with the blade.

 

　Wang Jin collapsed to the ground in excruciating pain, clutching the wrist oozing blood where his hand had once been. With eyes wide open, he gave Pei You’an a menacing glower, both his eyes rife with animosity and scorn.

 

　Pei You’an squatted down across from him, fished out the jade seal he had stuffed into his rucksack, wiped off the blood stains on it, and held it in his palm. He examined it against the moon for a moment, then got up and told the Golden Dragon King, “Uncle Dong, deal with him as you please.”

 

 

 

 

 

Footnotes:

 

1 He kinda already had an idea that the seal was with the young emperor, or else he wouldn’t have taken such troublesome measures to catch him.

 

2 Xiao Yu calls him shǎofù (少傅), which roughly translates to something like “young tutor/teacher” since Pei You’an started teaching him at the age of 14. I left the ‘young’ part out.

 

3 His nickname is literally “Golden-Faced Dragon King”, but I left out the “faced” part because it’s quite a mouthful. Also, Golden Dragon King reads better. Think of his mask looking something like this, minus the excessive horns and the golden armor lol:

 

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