Every year on New Year’s Eve, the imperial palace would set off fireworks within the Imperial City. They were launched from the opposite bank of Taiye Lake, and from the second floor of Yongle Hall, one could see the entire display perfectly.
However, the best spots on the second floor of Yongle Hall had to be reserved for the emperor and his consorts, so the aristocratic families and high-ranking officials had to squeeze in behind them.
Jun Huailang had come to the palace to watch the fireworks every year since he was little. When he was younger, he was mischievous, and because he was short, he disliked squeezing among the crowds. So he would secretly slip away on his own and find somewhere else to watch.
That was how he discovered a corner tower on the western side of Taiye Lake.
The corner tower was normally where the imperial guards stood watch. On the thirtieth day of the twelfth lunar month, half of the palace guards would be transferred to Yongle Hall, leaving this tower empty. It faced the same direction as Yongle Hall, and in front of it was the vast expanse of the lake. With no palace buildings blocking the view, one could see the fireworks set off by the palace servants perfectly from there.
When Jun Huailang was young, he would come here by himself to watch. Later, he brought Jun Xiaowu along. A few years after that, Jun Xiaowu went to Yumen Pass, and Jun Linghuan had grown up, so he brought his younger sister instead.
But today, neither of them was here.
The New Year’s Eve banquet was already more than halfway over, and midnight was fast approaching. Jun Huailang left the banquet ahead of time and took Xue Yan with him, leading him all the way to the corner tower he had discovered.
“This is the place.” The corner tower had four floors, and by the time they reached the top, Jun Huailang was already breathing a little heavily. He stood on the tower’s terrace, turned around, and smiled at Xue Yan. “When it reaches the fourth quarter after midnight, fireworks will be set off across Taiye Lake. From here, we’ll have the perfect view.”
The palace was bustling with activity tonight. Lamps had been lit everywhere, and the entire place was brilliantly illuminated, making even the night seem bright. Taiye Lake was fed by running water all around, so it did not freeze in winter. Its rippling surface reflected the lights of the Imperial City.
Jun Huailang stood there, with the lights outside falling in mottled patterns across his face.
Xue Yan stood slightly behind him to the side. With his head lowered slightly, he could see Jun Huailang’s profile.
He gave a faint hum.
Jun Huailang had drunk some wine by then, so he was more talkative than usual. He leaned against the railing, turned around, and rested both elbows on it.
“Do they set off fireworks in Yan Commandery for the New Year?” he asked.
Xue Yan shook his head.
There were no fireworks. There were wolf-smoke signals, beacon fires, and signals that suddenly shot into the sky, emitting a brief, sharp flash of light.
Jun Huailang narrowed his eyes and smiled lazily.
“Then that’s perfect.” He smiled. “Today, you’ll get to watch fireworks with me for the first time. It won’t be a wasted trip for me to show you this place either—His Sixth Highness doesn’t even know about it.”
It wasn’t that Jun Huailang had deliberately kept it from Xue Yunhuan. Every New Year’s Eve, Xue Yunhuan stayed by the Empress’s side, so naturally, unlike Jun Huailang, he never had the chance to slip out of Yongle Hall.
Jun Huailang smiled to himself, naturally unaware that whenever he smiled, all the surrounding lights were reflected in his eyes.
Just then, a streak of light suddenly shot into the sky.
Xue Yan was accustomed to signal flares on the battlefield. The moment he saw a flash of light tear through the sky, his entire body instinctively tensed, reflexively assuming a combat-ready stance.
But immediately afterward, Jun Huailang grabbed him by the sleeve.
“Look!” He heard Jun Huailang’s clear voice, tinged with delight.
Xue Yan followed his gaze upward, only to see the light explode in the sky. A cluster of sparks suddenly burst open, scattering in all directions and blooming into a firework.
One after another, fireworks shot into the sky. Brilliant sparks illuminated the vast expanse of night before them.
Xue Yan paused, then involuntarily lowered his head and looked at Jun Huailang standing beside him.
The fireworks rose and fell in succession, blooming into great expanses of dazzling light in the sky, their glow reflected in Jun Huailang’s cool, dark eyes.
Xue Yan raised his head again and looked at the fireworks in the sky.
For a moment, the only sounds around them were the explosions of fireworks and the faint crackling as the burning sparks fell. The fireworks put on by the palace were extraordinarily grand. One wave followed another, continuing for a full quarter of an hour without stopping.
Jun Huailang watched for a while before casually turning his head to the side, where he saw Xue Yan’s profile.
The brilliant fireworks illuminated his face, casting flickering light and shadow across his features. His pair of light-colored eyes seemed to have been imbued with warmth by the fireworks, making him look nothing like the cold and ruthless man he had been in his previous life.
As though sensing Jun Huailang’s gaze, Xue Yan turned his head toward him. Those bright eyes, tinged with the light of the fireworks, suddenly met Jun Huailang’s gaze. They were intense and deep, so hot that his heartbeat seemed to skip two beats.
It was as though Jun Huailang had only just realized that Xue Yan was exceptionally handsome. Those overly beautiful eyes struck him suddenly in the chest.
However, that faint flutter of his heart was instantly drowned out by the successive explosions of fireworks, like ripples spreading across the surface of water before disappearing without a trace.
Suddenly, he saw Xue Yan’s lips move, saying something.
The fireworks were too loud, drowning out his voice. Jun Huailang raised his voice and asked, “What did you say?”
Then he saw Xue Yan’s face enlarge before him.
The fireworks cast a soft, flickering glow over him. Jun Huailang felt Xue Yan turn away from his face and stop beside his ear. His warm breath, carrying his steady voice, fell against Jun Huailang’s ear.
“Happy New Year,” he said. “May you be safe and peaceful year after year.”
——
Jun Huailang’s ear suddenly went numb, as though a faint current of electricity had passed through it.
He stared blankly for a moment before turning his head toward Xue Yan.
Just then, Xue Yan’s gaze darkened, and he straightened.
“Someone’s here,” he said.
A night breeze drifted lightly over, carrying the chill of deep winter. It easily swept away the brief tingling Jun Huailang had just felt.
He came back to his senses. “Hm? Who?”
“Someone’s coming up.” As Xue Yan spoke, he warily looked behind them.
Jun Huailang was somewhat surprised. Had someone come looking for him? The fireworks hadn’t even stopped yet, and everyone should still be watching them. Why would anyone come here looking for him?
He turned around in surprise. Just then, the fireworks temporarily stopped.
He saw a young palace maid panting as she climbed up. She hurried over to him, curtsied, and said, “Your Highness, I finally found you!”
Jun Huailang asked, “What is it?”
The young palace maid replied, “Your Highness, the Duchess ordered me to come find you. Miss Jun noticed that you weren’t there just now and became anxious to look for you. The Duke also said he had something to discuss with you. I couldn’t find you at Yongle Hall, but when I saw two people in the tower over here, I guessed that Your Highness must be here.”
Upon hearing this, Jun Huailang looked back at Xue Yan.
He had originally intended to ask Xue Yan to come along, but since his father had something to discuss with him, it would not be appropriate to ask Xue Yan to accompany him.
Just then, the fireworks, having paused for a moment, began again. The entire night sky was instantly stained with blooming bursts of fire.
For an instant, they also illuminated the young palace maid’s face, which had been hidden in the shadows.
Jun Huailang turned back to Xue Yan and said, “Then I’ll go back first. Fifth Highness, once you’ve finished watching the fireworks, you can simply return the way we came.”
Xue Yan paused, glanced at the palace maid, and nodded.
“All right.”
Jun Huailang apologized for leaving and turned around to follow the palace maid down the tower.
The place they had come to was secluded, and there were few lights below. After leaving the corner tower, Jun Huailang, who had been watching fireworks for so long, suddenly found his surroundings dark and had some difficulty adjusting to the dim light.
The palace maid leading the way, however, walked quickly and soon got far ahead of him, forcing Jun Huailang to quicken his pace to catch up.
“Miss, did my father say what he wanted to discuss with me?” Jun Huailang asked.
The palace maid’s footsteps paused slightly. Lowering her head, she said, “This servant doesn’t know either, Your Highness. You’ll have to ask the Duke when you see him.”
Jun Huailang nodded.
The distance from where they were to Yongle Hall was not short, which was why Jun Huailang had brought Xue Yan out ahead of time.
He was very familiar with this route, though. After following the palace maid for a while, they reached a fork in the road. But he saw the palace maid turn in another direction.
“Miss, you’ve gone the wrong way, haven’t you?” Jun Huailang quickly called out to her. “That way is farther.”
The palace maid stopped and turned around, but she did not walk back.
“Your Highness, we can’t take that road anymore,” she said. “I just passed by there and saw two eunuchs spill the firecrackers they were carrying back to the palace. They nearly caused a fire as well. There’s gunpowder scattered all over the ground now, and they’re cleaning it up.”
Jun Huailang hesitated.
Then the palace maid urged him, “Your Highness, please don’t keep the Duke waiting.”
Jun Huailang glanced once more in that direction. Pressured by her urging, he had no choice but to quicken his pace and follow the palace maid onward.
This road ran alongside Taiye Lake. Although Chang’an’s winters were bitterly cold, Taiye Lake was fed by running water, so only an extremely thin layer of surface ice formed. Walking beside the lake, one could feel the chill rising from the water.
The cold penetrated through Jun Huailang’s cloak and seeped into his body, making his spine feel somewhat chilled. For some reason, he felt uneasy.
He had a strong feeling that something was wrong.
He couldn’t help silently going over everything the palace maid had said just now. But no matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t find any obvious flaw.
“Which palace are you from?” Jun Huailang asked. “You’re not from my aunt’s palace, are you? You look unfamiliar to me.”
The palace maid seemed not to hear him.
Jun Huailang followed for another two steps and asked again.
Only then did the palace maid say, “Replying to Your Highness, this servant serves at Yongle Hall.”
Jun Huailang acknowledged her with a sound.
But immediately afterward, he noticed something in her tone—a trace of barely perceptible nervousness and panic.
“You serve at Yongle Hall?” Jun Huailang frowned and stopped walking. “The people who normally serve at Yongle Hall are palace servants responsible for cleaning and sweeping. How could you have been sent to deliver a message from the Duke? Which palace are you actually from? Don’t lie to me.”
The palace maid turned around and looked at him from a distance.
The area was completely dark, and Jun Huailang could not make out her expression. For some reason, he felt increasingly uneasy and took a step backward.
He had always felt that something was wrong with this palace maid, but he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what.
It was simply too coincidental.
How had she managed to find him in such a remote tower? And why had she come alone? Why had the road they originally intended to take happened to become impassable?
Besides, Linghuan had always been well-behaved. Normally, she rarely made a fuss simply because she couldn’t see him for a short while.
“Go back first,” Jun Huailang said, taking another step backward. His voice was calm. “I’m afraid Fifth Highness won’t be able to find his way. I’ll go back and wait for him so we can leave together.”
But the palace maid said nothing.
She suddenly rushed forward without a sound.
“Your Highness, please don’t blame this servant,” he heard the palace maid say.
Immediately afterward, Jun Huailang’s wrist was seized in her hand.
The force was immense. Anyone could tell that the person possessed considerable martial prowess. She was certainly no ordinary palace maid.
Then everything spun.
Jun Huailang suddenly felt his feet leave the ground.
The next moment, he was thrown into the icy waters of Taiye Lake.
He could not swim.
Before he had time to struggle or call for help, the bone-chilling water instantly numbed every nerve in his body, swallowing him into the bottomless darkness.