He was direct, and Junshang did not beat around the bush either. He smiled. “It is good that you understand what I mean.”
Mo Xi was silent for a while before saying, “Gu Mang is my closest friend. In his current state, if I abandon him and refuse to care about him, wouldn’t that chill people’s hearts?”
“Mm. Having loyalty and affection is naturally not a bad thing. I never said you must sever all contact with him.” Junshang’s slender fingers toyed with his prayer beads. “However, he is currently a guilty man. At this sensitive time, Xihe-Jun, you should avoid doing anything that might give people grounds for gossip, shouldn’t you?”
“If one is upright, one has nothing to fear from shadows. He has shown me kindness. What’s inappropriate about offering him a few words of advice? Besides, Gu Mang’s state of mind is dark right now. If no one stays by his side, I’m afraid he may…”
“May what?”
Mo Xi gritted his teeth. “Develop thoughts of rebellion.”
He had not known Gu Mang’s thoughts back then and had never believed that Gu Mang would harbor any intention of rebellion. But now that he knew what would happen afterward, he said this specifically to warn Junshang not to push Gu Mang too hard.
Sure enough, Junshang’s hand paused slightly. Then he smiled. “Xihe-Jun has so little confidence in his closest friend?”
Mo Xi said, “I only hope Junshang will not cut off his last way out.”
“Last way out?” A scoffing sound came from his nose. “The paths he has were all opened for him through the former ruler’s exceptional favor. Otherwise, as a slave by birth, what qualifications would he have to put on armor, go to war, and establish military merit? You say I am cutting off his path… Did he ever consider that if the former ruler had not granted him such extraordinary grace, what path would he have had to walk in this lifetime? Wouldn’t he have simply lived an ordinary life and become Murong Lian’s dog?”
“…”
Junshang narrowed his eyes dangerously and continued, “If Gu Mang had even the slightest self-awareness, he should understand that all his glory yesterday was bestowed by the former ruler. Now that he has suffered defeat while commanding troops, I am punishing him according to the law. What is there for him to resent?”
Mo Xi had originally come to the royal city merely to ask Junshang for permission to postpone his departure from the city. He had never expected that it would trigger such a conversation between him and Junshang.
The Junshang of eight years ago was like a fox that had not yet attained the Dao and ascended. He could not conceal his inner thoughts well enough before Mo Xi, who had come from eight years in the future.
He could not even restrain the wariness in his gaze toward Mo Xi.
“What grievance does he have? What injustice does he feel? What gives him the right to rebel?”
Those words were utterly merciless.
Mo Xi felt the blood throughout his body turn cold as he listened. He had never heard Junshang say such things before. Hearing them now, even he, a nobleman, felt chilled to the bone—let alone Gu Mang.
Let alone Gu Mang, who had lost tens of thousands of soldiers, whose surviving troops had been imprisoned, who could not even obtain a tombstone for the dead, and whose brother was about to be executed.
At this moment, Mo Xi suddenly understood with extraordinary clarity that when Gu Mang had dragged him out to drink before, crying drunkenly that he could not endure it anymore, that living was worse than death, it had not been a momentary impulse caused by alcohol.
That day, Gu Mang had truly broken down.
Chonghua had sent him onto the battlefield, yet it did not believe that Gu Mang and his ragged army were defending Chonghua’s borders and territory. Instead, it regarded this as a favor bestowed by the nobility upon a slave.
Therefore, his defeat was unforgivable.
Because in Junshang’s eyes, Gu Mang’s defeat was not the temporary failure of a loyal and valiant general. It was a servant who had received benefits failing to accomplish the task his master had entrusted to him.
He had simply disappointed his master’s trust for nothing.
Perhaps when Gu Mang realized this, his heart had already shattered—breaking apart from within, piece by piece, until it became fragments, dust, and ashes…
Yet back then, Mo Xi had never realized it.
He had even naively believed Gu Mang’s seemingly carefree laughter and joking afterward.
In the end, he had never truly understood Gu Mang.
Suppressing the pain and trembling in his heart, Mo Xi’s throat moved. His voice was hoarse as he said, “Junshang, you are not him. You don’t know what he is really thinking, nor where his bottom line lies. If one day he truly rebels…”
Junshang interrupted him. “He wouldn’t dare.”
“…”
How laughable.
Standing before the Junshang of eight years ago, Mo Xi was actually hearing Junshang confidently declare that Gu Mang would not dare rebel against the country.
“He wouldn’t dare, and he won’t.” Junshang continued, “Where does Xihe-Jun think he could possibly rebel to? Back then, Hua Po secretly rebelled against Chonghua and established the Liao Kingdom because he had a group of surviving slaves under his command. But what does Gu Mang have? The remnants of his army have already been imprisoned by me. Why don’t you tell me what he could accomplish by himself?”
“Does Junshang think he would not leave alone?”
Junshang practically bared his teeth in a cold laugh. “If he is foolish enough to think that way, then let him go.”
“!”
“He suffered a defeat at Fengming Mountain. I can no longer use him. If he believes that this alone is enough reason to rebel, then that proves this man will eventually become a disaster if he remains within Chonghua’s borders.” After saying this, Junshang stared at Mo Xi’s gradually paling face. “Xihe-Jun, do you think persuading him and staying beside him will be useful? If he harbors thoughts of rebellion, then it proves he wants far too much!”
The heart of an emperor was the most merciless of all.
Junshang paused before saying coldly, “I cannot give him what he wants.”
It was as though Mo Xi’s blood had frozen solid. His limbs and bones had all turned to ice.
His fingers clenched into fists. His voice was cold as he said, “Junshang. What he wants is nothing more than a tombstone with a name on it!”
“That is not merely a tombstone.” Junshang said, “Xihe-Jun. What he is asking me for is recognition of the status of that entire group of people. I am sorry. I can grant them forgiveness, but I cannot grant them honor.”
Mo Xi angrily said, “Then why did Junshang order me to leave three days from now? Three days from now, Lu Zhanxing will be executed. Does Junshang want to see whether Gu Mang can still remain loyal to Chonghua and loyal to you after losing another arm?!”
Junshang’s expression suddenly darkened. “Xihe-Jun. Do not become insolent again.”
“He cannot withstand your test anymore.” Mo Xi disregarded everything and spoke almost tremblingly. “…I can announce it before the throne today. If Junshang insists on doing this, Gu Mang… will definitely rebel.”
Junshang abruptly rose to his feet, like a sword being drawn from its sheath, and slammed his palm onto the table in fury.
“Whether he rebels or not, why does it matter?! He is nothing more than a dog! Even if he repays kindness with betrayal and rebels against Chonghua, will my kingdom collapse? Will it scatter like smoke and vanish like clouds?! I simply want to see whether this person is harboring some sinister thoughts, whether there is a rebellious bone hidden beneath his skull, just like Hua Po’an’s back then!”
He was still young, after all.
Such sharp-edged, unrestrained fury was something the current Junshang would absolutely never reveal.
“Three days. Three days from now, you must leave the imperial capital.” Junshang’s breathing slowly calmed, though his gaze remained fierce as he stared at Mo Xi’s face. “You. Get out.”
Mo Xi had never confronted him like this before.
Those words were like a blade being drawn, its snowy gleam illuminating the darkness, suddenly stabbing straight into his heart.
He said nothing more. He silently gazed at the person seated upon the throne.
People always said that the emperor’s mind was inscrutable, but was Junshang not constantly trying to test the ministers beneath him as well?
Especially someone like Gu Mang.
He and the nobles were never on the same boat. Those who are not of our kind will inevitably have different hearts.
Therefore, Junshang would guard against him, scheme against him, and even…
Wait!
Mo Xi’s heart suddenly jolted.
He suddenly remembered something.
Back then, he clearly remembered Lu Zhanxing’s execution. Although he had agreed to Junshang’s request to go to the northern frontier to teach magic, he had originally scheduled his return for before Lu Zhanxing’s execution.
In other words, according to his original plans, he would have had plenty of time to see Gu Mang one last time before Gu Mang rebelled.
But afterward?
The more he thought about it, the colder he became…
Afterward, something unexpected had suddenly happened at the northern frontier. Numerous monsters had broken through the border defenses. He had been forced to remain there for several more days, working with the stationed army to subdue and capture those monsters, which delayed his return.
At the time, although he had found it somewhat suspicious that so many monsters had suddenly appeared, he had not thought much about it.
But now…
At that instant, Mo Xi suddenly developed a vague feeling.
A feeling that gave rise to a terrifying thought.
It was something he had never sensed before—
Could it be that back then, Junshang had deliberately sent him away in order to test Gu Mang?
This suspicion was like a block of ice falling into Mo Xi’s heart, its strands of cold spreading throughout his limbs and bones.
He suddenly realized that his departure from the imperial capital at that time, followed by the delay in his return, had all been deliberately arranged by Junshang.
Perhaps Junshang had never wanted Gu Mang to remain in Chonghua.
That was why he did not want anyone accompanying Gu Mang at the moment when he was most disappointed and most tormented.
This former slave and general was already useless.
Since they could not find a suitable reason to kill him, then forcing him into rebellion…
Would that have been the better choice?
Could Gu Mang’s rebellion have been something Junshang had planned from the very beginning?
Mo Xi felt a chill throughout his entire body.
After leaving the royal palace deep within the imperial city, its upturned eaves reaching toward the sky, he stood outside for quite some time, forcing himself to stop trembling so violently.
For an instant, he truly wanted to disregard everything—to ask, to make a scene.
But he understood that if he wanted to uncover more secrets, he had to let events continue along their normal course.
In this world within the mirror, he had only one chance to uncover the truth.
Once he missed it, there would never be another chance.
Mo Xi raised his head and blinked his slightly reddened eyes. He desperately, slowly calmed his mind, forcing himself to become less impulsive.
Only then did he set out for the Xinghua Tower in the northern part of the city.
He knew Gu Mang was there.
Xinghua Tower was the pleasure house Gu Mang would later frequent the most. The entire place was filled with strings of pearls and jade ornaments, the sounds of flutes and xiao pipes filling the air.
Gu Mang had once said with a smiling face that he loved the understanding beauties here more than anything, and that only their warm fragrance and soft jade-like bodies could ease the bitter sea of hatred and suffering in his heart.
When he arrived before Xinghua Tower, where red silk fluttered in the wind, Mo Xi stopped.
He raised his head and looked at the plaque with its red background and golden characters.
Eight years ago, when he had left the royal city, he had also passed by this place, stopping before the pavilion surrounded by fragrant flowers.
But he had not entered.
At that time, he could not stand Gu Mang’s descent into depravity, nor could he bear watching the person who had once shared a bed with him frolicking among rouge and vulgar cosmetics.
His heart had hurt too much.
So he had left for the northern frontier without saying goodbye to Gu Mang.
And because of that, he had missed his final meeting with Gu Mang before the rebellion.
But this time would be different.
This time, he wanted to have a sincere conversation with Gu Mang.
Just as he had imagined countless times.
Just as he had dreamed countless times.
Mo Xi composed himself, clenched his fingers tightly in his palm, and stepped into this pleasure house filled with amorous laughter and seductive voices.
“Oh my, Xihe-Jun.” The madam was startled when she saw him. Remembering the last time Mo Xi had come to the establishment looking for someone, she hurriedly asked in fear, “Xihe-Jun, what brings you here today?”
“Where is Gu Mang?”
“…Marshal Gu, he-he isn’t here…”
“I know he is here.” Mo Xi said. “Which room?”
“…”
Meeting his sharp, blade-like gaze, the madam could not help shivering.
I’m sorry, Marshal Gu. This little establishment is just a small business. We can’t withstand Xihe-Jun’s torment.
She immediately put on a greasy smile.
“Ahahaha, Xihe-Jun, look at my memory! Yes, yes, I remember now. Marshal Gu is upstairs. Third floor, all the way to the end, turn left, the third room. Yifang Pavilion. Xihe-Jun, please.”
Mo Xi did not even turn his head as he headed straight for the stairs.
Before he had even reached the outside of Yifang Pavilion, Mo Xi heard the sound of a pipa coming from inside, low and intermittent, accompanied by a singing girl’s soft voice:
Once a young man took his sword and went away,
His loyal blood sank into the sand, his bones could not return.
Last year this body still possessed jade-like beauty,
Last night this body still laughed and talked.
You left behind a loyal heart, and I shall honor it;
You left behind a noble spirit, and I shall pass it on.
On the day the heroic soul returns to its homeland,
There shall be green mountains everywhere beneath heaven.
It was Chonghua’s requiem for summoning the souls of the dead.
The singer had clearly never played or sung such a solemn piece in a pleasure house before. Although she recited every word without error, every note carried hesitation, and every phrase held a softness.
A song meant to comfort the spirits of the dead sounded almost like Phoenix Seeking Phoenix.
The difference in temperament was simply too great.
Mo Xi reached the door and stood outside the half-closed vermilion-lacquered door.
The pipa melody was coming to an end. The final notes, like falling pearls and jade, landed softly.
Then Gu Mang’s lazy laughter came from inside.
It was only such a faint sound.
Yet it already made Mo Xi’s heart skip several beats.
“Your voice is as graceful as an oriole’s, Sister, but there was one section you played too quickly, so the melody went wrong.”
The singer said coquettishly, “I never used to sing things like this. I played badly and made Marshal Gu laugh.”
Gu Mang laughed. “What’s the big deal? In this vast Chonghua, only you people are willing to fool around with me like this, accompanying me in secretly singing this soul-sacrificing song… Come, I’ll teach you the part you played incorrectly.”
“Marshal Gu can play the pipa too?”
“I can’t learn fingerwork this difficult.” Gu Mang said. “But I can use another instrument.”
The room fell silent for a moment.
Then Gu Mang’s calm voice sounded.
“Fengbo, come forth.”
Fengbo…
Mo Xi closed his eyes. His fingers hanging before the door trembled slightly.
Suddenly, the clear sound of a suona rang out from inside.
So clumsy.
So ridiculous.
Even laughable.
Yet at that very moment, his eyelashes grew wet.
It was the divine weapon’s sound that Gu Mang would later never be able to summon again—
Fengbo Yuhen.
Mo Xi’s throat felt unbearably bitter and dry.
He remained silent for a long time, as though overcome by the strange unease of someone approaching home after a long absence, his heart tangled into a mess.
Finally, he took a deep breath, endured the intense dizziness before his eyes, raised his hand, and gently pushed open the vermilion carved door.
Daylight spilled inside.
Amid the dreamlike light and shadows, he saw Gu Mang.
Gu Mang from eight years ago.
Although he had been prepared for it long ago, the moment he truly saw that person, the old scar in Mo Xi’s heart was still violently pierced by an invisible blade.
Excruciating pain rapidly spread from his heart throughout his limbs and bones, leaving him numb with agony and trembling from the pain.
—He saw once again that Gu Mang who was conscious, who wore Chonghua’s robes, who possessed black eyes.
Whole.
Healthy.
Not yet a traitor.
Carrying all the memories they shared…
Marshal Gu of the Empire.
His Senior Brother Gu.