Isolated town in northern border region

As dusk settled over the lake, it bathed the entire Imperial Garden in a dark gold hue.

The bamboo grove outside the pavilion rustled in the evening breeze, like someone whispering in the distance.

Xiao Lie sat on the stone bench, his Taiping sword lying across his lap, the twilight on the blade gradually dimming.

The Chu Emperor sat opposite him in silence for a long time, so long that the palace lantern outside the pavilion was lit by a eunuch, and the flame flickered gently inside the lampshade, casting the shadows of the two men far apart on the blue bricks.

"When I was young..."

The Chu Emperor spoke, his voice hoarse like a cracked riverbed.

"Following behind your father like a little shadow."

"Wherever my imperial brother goes, I will go."

"When my elder brother was studying, I would sit beside him and doze off. When I woke up, I was always wearing my elder brother's outer robe."

"While my elder brother was practicing swordsmanship, I would gather the leaves he chopped down and collect them into a box."

"At that time, I felt that the best person in the world was my imperial brother, and I only needed to follow him for the rest of my life."

The Chu Emperor looked down at his hands, as if searching for leaves long lost to the passage of time.

His voice lowered, as if afraid of waking something.

"Every time my elder brother returns from a campaign, he brings me something."

"Once, my elder brother brought back a stone, saying he had picked it up on a certain mountain, and asked me to carve it into a seal."

"I carved the character '牧' (Mu) on it, crookedly, and my elder brother actually carried it with him all this time."

"Once, my elder brother brought back a book, saying he had found it at a secondhand bookstore, and told me to read it carefully. I read it, and after finishing it, I wrote a note. My elder brother read it and then carefully annotated it; his annotations were longer than my note!"

"I cut out that annotation, framed it, and hung it in my study for more than twenty years."

He looked up, his eyes a little moist.

"Your Majesty, you are truly the best person in the world to me!"

Xiao Lie remained silent. He sat opposite him, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, his gaze fixed on the aged face of the Chu Emperor, but his mind was on someone else.

Half of the gifts mentioned by the Chu Emperor were later bestowed upon the Eastern Palace.

When Xiao Lie was a child, he received a stone with a crooked character "牧" (shepherd) carved on it. At the time, he didn't know who carved it, but he thought it was ugly.

Now I finally know that it was carved by the Chu Emperor, the most upright yet ugliest character he ever carved in his entire life.

The Emperor of Chu picked up the cup of tea and took a sip. The tea had already gone cold, but he did not put it down.

"The year the late emperor went on a campaign to the northern frontier, I received an urgent message from the capital.

The letter said that the late emperor had fallen ill from overwork and was in a coma.

"I was so anxious I was almost going crazy!"

"I've searched the Imperial Medical Academy, the doctors in Kyoto, and even the monks and Taoist priests in various temples!"

"I left the capital overnight with the imperial physicians and medicines, changing horses but not riders along the way. Three horses died, and my legs were covered in blisters, but I didn't feel any pain."

He paused, and his voice lowered.

"When I arrived at the military camp, my legs were shaking."

"It's not that I'm tired, it's that I'm afraid! Afraid of not making it in time, afraid of delays along the way that might worsen my brother's illness!"

"I knelt outside the tent for half an hour, and the army doctor said the late emperor had just fallen asleep. I remained kneeling outside the tent until dawn."

Xiao Lie tapped his fingers lightly on the hilt of the knife.

He recalled his childhood, when his father would always lead his troops into battle, entrusting him to this gray-haired man before him on each campaign.

At that time, Xiao Lie had never suffered any injustice. His eldest brother, Xiao Yu, and second brother, Xiao Zhang, would always be playing with a sugar figurine each.

Xiao Lie once flew a kite on Xiao Mu's neck, and also slept soundly on the Chu Emperor's shoulder...

All of this... seems like something from a past life.

When did things turn into a life-or-death struggle between the two, with no more uncle-nephew affection remaining?

I don't remember...

Xiao Lie came to his senses, and the Chu Emperor continued to speak, his voice growing softer and softer, as if afraid of waking some sleeping old friend.

"The medicine was brewed by my own hands."

"The prescription was written by Mo Shu. I asked him about it more than once, and Mo Shu always said that the herbs were just mild tonics and harmless."

"I believe you..."

"I held the medicine bowl, knelt before my elder brother's bed, and fed him spoonful by spoonful."

"My brother opened his eyes shortly after finishing his drink, and he looked much more energetic than before!"

"My elder brother held my hand, blaming me for leaving the capital for that bitterly cold northern frontier, and asked me if I was cold..."

"I cried like a little child, which frightened the two brothers, Tieshan and Tiegong, who were standing at the door, who thought their elder brother was critically ill!"

"Looking back now, it's really ridiculous!"

He paused for a long while, and when he spoke again, his voice had changed, becoming hoarse and tinged with a hint of crying.

"But later... my brother's recovery didn't seem right!"

"He didn't sleep; he spent all night looking at maps, writing orders, and telling me, 'I still have a lot to do; I need to hurry.'"

"My brother's voice trembled with excitement as he spoke, his hands shook, and his eyes shone unnaturally!"

"At the time, I thought it was because Mo Shu's medical skills were superb, but little did I know that it was just a temporary resurgence before death!"

"Under the alternating effects of 'Heart Source Guide' and 'Soldier's Might Powder,' my elder brother's body was drained dry in just a few days!"

Xiao Lie's throat moved.

He recalled Xiao Yu's appearance before she died...

Jiang Min's acupuncture activated his last bit of potential, and his whole body glowed with health!

The Chu Emperor's gaze fell on the empty space, as if looking at someone who was no longer there across that bygone era.

"Before the late emperor passed away, he was lucid for a short period of time. In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he recognized me."

"My brother held my hand, his eyes filled with disbelief!"

"He asked me, why I poisoned the medicine!"

"But I didn't! I didn't! From selecting the medicine, decocting it, to even feeding it to the patient, I did everything myself, without the slightest selfishness!"

"But...my elder brother...passed away because of me."

Xiao Lie tightened and then loosened his grip on the hilt of the knife.

No explanation was needed from the Chu Emperor; it was clear that Mo Shu was behind all of this.

Xiao Lie wanted to say something sarcastic, but seeing the Chu Emperor's expression as if something had been drained from him, he sighed and shut his mouth.

The Chu Emperor lowered his head and looked at his hands.

"After the late emperor passed away, Mo Shu came to see me."

Xiao Lie was taken aback upon hearing this!

"What?"

"Mo Shu even contacted you!?"

"Why didn't you kill him! Avenge my father!"

"I don't believe you can't guess who's behind this!"

The Chu Emperor looked dejected.

"Kill Mo Shu?"

Will he admit to poisoning the late emperor?

"Even if he admits it, how do you think history will record it?"

How will future generations judge us?

"Kill him! I will bear the blame for regicide!"

"I will be infamous for eternity!"

Xiao Lie was speechless for a moment after being asked by the Chu Emperor. The Chu Emperor waved his sleeve and continued.

"He brought the formula for the 'Bingyongsan' to the capital, saying that he could clean up the court for me."

"At that time, I was both afraid and resentful. I was afraid that I would really become a sinner, and I resented Mo Shu for making me bear a burden that I could never wash away."

"I hate him even more for poisoning my elder brother!"

"I wish I could tear him to pieces!"

"But...I dare not let him die...nor do I want him to live openly and honestly..."

"I banish him from the Great Chu."

"But he turned around and went to Tie Gong, lying to him that I was the one who poisoned the late emperor."