In the Ye Lan Palace, the lamps blazed like daylight. The Emperor sat high on his golden throne, his gaze fixed on the dancer swaying at the foot of the dais.
"Your Majesty," Guo Shangzhong whispered, "the Fifth Prince has arrived."
The Emperor didn't look away. A beat of silence. "Let him in."
"Yes." Guo Shangzhong bowed and scurried out.
Outside, moonlight spilled over the white marble steps. Xue Liulan stood with his hands behind his back, watching the moon slip behind a cloud. A dark night with a high wind. A good time for killing.
"Fifth Prince, His Majesty summons you." Guo Shangzhong appeared. "Please."
"Thank you." Xue Liulan followed him up the stairs. Palace guards stood like statues at the entrance, halberds gleaming.
He glanced at them, then smiled at the eunuch. "Eunuch Guo, are preparations complete?"
"Everything is ready. They won't be leaving." Guo Shangzhong's voice was light, as if he weren't sentencing a hundred men to death.
Xue Liulan nodded and stepped over the threshold. The music had stopped. The dancer, draped in sheer silk that left little to the imagination, was now nestled at the Emperor's side.
"Your son greets his Imperial Father." Xue Liulan bowed.
"Dispense with the formalities," the Emperor said lazily, his eyes still devouring the woman. "You know I don't like to be disturbed during my evening banquet."
"I do."
"And yet you disturb me?" The Emperor finally turned, his gaze sharp as an arrow.
"I wouldn't dare." Xue Liulan knelt, head to the floor. "I have urgent news."
"Oh? Urgent?" The Emperor's brow furrowed. "Speak."
"I have received intelligence that Yanyun death squads have infiltrated the capital. They intend to assassinate you tonight." Xue Liulan knelt straight, meeting his father's eyes.
The Emperor stared back, silent. Then, slowly, his gaze drifted back to the woman. Beneath the heavy makeup, her features were delicate. Familiar.
Xue Liulan looked at her too. His eyes were pools of black water, revealing nothing.
"Since there are assassins, what do you propose?" the Emperor finally asked.
"I have already discussed a strategy with Eunuch Guo. We await your command."
Guo Shangzhong hid a sneer. Clever prince. Dragging him into it proved Xue Liulan had no private ambition.
"Guo Shangzhong?" The Emperor glanced at the silent eunuch.
"Your Majesty, this slave thought the Fifth Prince would report to you. If I spoke out of turn, I would have wasted his filial piety." Guo Shangzhong dropped to his knees, banging his head on the floor. "This slave deserves death."
"True. The palace has many ears. Perhaps even Yanyun spies." The Emperor nodded. "Liulan, I leave this to you. Do not let a single one escape. For this merit, you shall be richly rewarded."
"Thank you, Father. I will take my leave." Xue Liulan let out a breath. As he rose, he saw the Emperor turn back to the woman.
"Dance for me again."
She tilted her head, smiling coyly. "Which dance, Your Majesty?"
The Emperor paused. A long sigh escaped him. "Dance The Return."
Xue Liulan froze. He turned back, staring at his aging father. After all these years… has he still not let go?
The Return. 'Hold my hand, and return with me.' Years ago, the daughter of the Murong family had danced it, shocking the capital with her grace. She had entered the palace as Empress, and since then, no one had ever matched her elegance.
Xue Liulan stood outside the palace with Guo Shangzhong. The courtyard was vast and empty.
"Eunuch Guo, is there still anyone in the palace who knows The Return?"
Guo Shangzhong chuckled. "Yes. The woman you just saw is the best in the Music Bureau."
That woman? Xue Liulan's mind cleared. The familiarity of her features suddenly made sense.
He gave a faint smile. "My father's order?"
"Yes. Two years ago, His Majesty ordered the Bureau to teach The Return. Every dancer chosen to perform it was selected by his own hand."
"I never thought the day would come when Father would miss my mother." It sounded like a mockery, lost to the wind.
Guo Shangzhong was silent for a moment. "You haven't visited the Empress's palace in a long time. If you have a moment, check the side chamber. You will understand."
"Mm." Xue Liulan took a deep breath. If he loved her, why did he drive her to such despair?
He still remembered his father's words, standing over her body.
"She left me nothing." Nothing. Not even the right to mourn.
"Careful!" Guo Shangzhong suddenly shoved him back, shielding him.
Xue Liulan kept his face blank, but his heart raced. He had only just sensed the assassins. Guo Shangzhong had heard them first. A hidden master. I underestimated this eunuch.
"Sharp ears, Eunuch Guo," he said, feigning admiration.
"Not as sharp as your courage." He meant Xue Liulan's willingness to face assassins without martial arts.
Xue Liulan smiled, relieved. Being shoved aside had solidified his disguise as a weakling.
The Yanyun death squads were fearless. One group charged openly to draw fire, while the second, hidden group struck at the target.
Guo Shangzhong raised his hand, waiting for the moment to signal his hidden men.
Xue Liulan stood with his hands behind his back, seemingly unconcerned. But his palm was open. He, too, was waiting.
The first wave charged up the jade steps. Just as they reached the top, Guo Shangzhong's hand dropped.
Instantly, elite Imperial Guards swarmed from the shadows of the palace, clashing with the men in black.
Xue Liulan scanned the chaos. His smile stiffened. He couldn't spot any techniques from Thousand Day Drunk. None of them are here.
Had Die Man overheard him?
"There are men on the roof!" Guo Shangzhong shouted, waving his hand. Several guards broke off and leaped onto the eaves.
Xue Liulan moved to get a better view. Those are the ones I'm waiting for.
His hand clenched into a fist. In the shadows, Xueluo saw the signal. He drew his sword and led his men toward the roof.
The night smelled of blood. The faint music from inside the palace mingled strangely with the wet thud of steel entering flesh.
"Eunuch Guo, the assassins have been eliminated," a guard captain reported, kneeling.
"Clean it up." Guo Shangzhong waved a hand, then turned to Xue Liulan. "Your men are formidable, Your Highness."
Xueluo stood behind the prince, face masked, silent.
Xue Liulan smiled. "Return and report to the Princess Consort."
"Yes." Xueluo vanished into the night.
"Murong family retainers?" Guo Shangzhong asked, surprised. "Worthy of the North-Pacifying General. Truly elite."
"Borrowed power must be returned," Xue Liulan said lazily. "It's not mine."
"Your Highness is wrong. You and the Princess Consort are one. What is hers is yours."
Xue Liulan glanced at the fawning eunuch and laughed softly. "If that were true, Murong Yan would not be Murong Yan."
"You are too modest. You are the most celebrated prince in Jindu."
Xue Liulan shook his head with a sigh. "Only the drinker knows if the water is hot or cold."