Nightfall

In the early autumn, the Daming Palace in the north of Chang’an was quiet and peaceful among the dense old trees. For hundreds or even thousands of years, these old trees were extremely tall and strong. But they still could not cover the palace’s magnificent verve or suppress the solemn atmosphere of the world’s political center.

Qing Si Temple was the most beautiful place in the palace. Looking at the back mountain from the lake behind the temple, one could see the gradually withered leaves falling after gusts of autumn winds, and the mixture of lush green with the bright colors like yellow and light red. All in all, the scene had a mysterious enchantment.

The bright-eyed, high-spirited Tang Emperor Li Zhongyi gently held the soft hands of the empress, watching the early autumn scenery in front of the mountains in front of the temple, and then signed softly. “The trees grow up through thousands of years of trials and tribulations. The Tang Empire was set up to be respected by others through countless wars and sacrifices of numberless famous warriors. In those days, Pei Yan actually sacrificed the Tangs and even the generals for the sake of those Taoist priests from West-Hill. I’m afraid he didn’t think it to be such a surprise in the eyes of those Taoist priests. If the Tang Empire couldn’t resist the pressure of outsiders to sacrifice its own courtiers, how would such a Tang Empire make the others shudder? As the emperor of the Tang, why didn’t I care about it?”

The empress handed the letter from West-Hill back to him, gently leaning against him. There was a natural feminine gentleness coming from her beautiful eyes and brows between glances. She whispered to persuade him. “It is already in the past. Your Majesty, why do you bother yourself with it?”

“The dead courtier was still my courtier. If he was not my younger brother, if not…” The emperor looked deeply at the empress and said, “How can I just spare them for this?”

The empress knew what he wanted to say, and slowly stood straight to calmly look at the mountains as well as the old trees outside of the bar. She said, “At that time, His Majesty traveled to Nanze. The prince received a letter from Haotian hierarchy and also felt that it was a bit tricky. After all, Zhishou Abbey also broke the silence and showed concern. Who in the world could make sure if the omen indicated by the Seven Tomes of Arcane existed?”

After a long time of silence, the emperor said slowly, “When I was young and studied in the Academy, the Headmaster of the Academy once taught me that for the temporarily incomprehensible things, one should admit its existence without having to deal with it. If one couldn’t even deal with anything in the world, then why bother to think about those things in hell?

“After all, the legend is just a legend. The year that I ascended the throne, the three missionaries from the Unknown Place traveled to the Wilderness and didn’t have the slightest clue. If the Seven Tomes of Arcane in the temple clearly indicated that, why couldn’t those people find it either? In that case, what happened later was nothing more than the wickedness of anxious swindlers.

“You said that the prince might have been horrified that year. It’s indeed possible. But he has still committed the most fatal mistake. Since childhood, he has grown up under my protection, so he couldn’t clearly see the reason why the Tang Empire could keep ahead in the world, regardless of the West-Hill Divine Palace, and even didn’t care about the pressure from Zhishou Abbey and Xuankong Temple. In addition to strong national conditions and the Academy’s shelter, what is more important… The Tang Empire never compromised.”

The emperor sometimes used “I” as self-address, for each section’s subject he referred to was not the same. The empress quietly watched his familiar side face and noted that he deliberately missed a name. She said, “I didn’t speak for the prince. But this matter involved too many people. He must be cautious.”

“He was cautious for an illusory tale and sacrificed the lives of innocent courtiers and common people for a possible calamity…” The emperor frowned slowly and then mocked himself with a smile. Then he softly sighed. “I can understand a lot of people’s difficulties and pressures. That’s one of the reasons why I didn’t punish them during these years.”

The empress bowed slightly, forcibly suppressing the sensation in her heart, and then whispered, “I made Your Majesty embarrassed.”

“I’m the lord of the world. It doesn’t matter if I bear some criticism for my woman.”

With a long laugh, the emperor took her into his arms and pointed toward the mountains in front of the temple where the forest was getting dilapidated. He said, “Nowadays, there are many constraints in this country and the Tang cavalry have recuperated for many years. It’s not necessarily a bad thing if the prediction of the Seven Tomes of Arcane in Zhishou Abbey is indeed true. By then, I’ll lead the empire warriors to extend the Tang territory to the other end of the world. Then I’ll go with you to the white bone temple in the myths and then see the autumn scenery. And I’ll write an exquisite good paper as a sacrificial rite for my ancestors. It can also be considered to accomplish your sect’s million-year dream for you.”

The empress looked at his familiar face and recalled his love and protection toward her over the years. Her eyes were full of admiration and love. She said in a quiet voice, “Your Majesty is so ambitious. I really like it.”

“It is said that ‘the fish jumped across the sea’. The sea is indeed wide, but there are always coastal restraints. It can’t contain the aspiration of my generations and the great empire. So why don’t we put our eyes on the higher and wider sky without borders?”

Upon hearing this, the empress thought of the scene that was often seen these days in the imperial study and could not help but chuckle with her lips covered by her sleeves. She moved her eyes and added, “‘The flower blooms on the shore astride’? It looks like Your Majesty really loves the words. In that case, if Your Majesty can really lead the Tang Empire to extend its own territory in the future, we have to ask the penman to cope with your sacrificial paper of the imperial ancestors.”

“On that day, I meant to give the five characters meaning ‘the fish that jumped across the sea’ to Chao Xiaoshu. I didn’t expect that this guy actually had to leave. At that time, I felt a little uneasy. But I saw the characters that the penman had written for me.”

The emperor bowed gently to kiss her face and smiled to say, “These characters are sufficient to broaden the mind of the emperor. The penman knows me very well. If they can find him, I’ll give him substantial rewards.”

The empress looked at him with interest and said with a smile, “How will Your Majesty reward him after finding that person? Will you invite him to the imperial study as a writing minister? In my opinion, I’m afraid he has guessed your mind and is reluctant to have a busy life as a writer in the study. Therefore, he has continued to hide from view these days.”

The emperor thought of such a possibility and annoyedly said, “It is surprising that no one could tell anything from the characters after I had taken the calligraphy to ask a few Grand Secretaries in the imperial court. I also sent many people to secretly visit the great pen shops in Chang’an. But nothing was found. I really don’t know where that person is now. When I think that person might be a certain official in the imperial court, who secretly made fun of me when seeing me every day, I’m filled with grievances and can’t wait to seize him and cut his head off.”

“Your Majesty enjoys the calligraphy every day inside the imperial study. You love it so much that you can’t bear to part with it. If you really find that penman, I don’t believe you’ll cut his head off,” the queen said with a smile.