Nine Nights Owl Song

The eighteenth day of the first month of the eighteenth year of Yong'an.

The first big court meeting of the New Year.

Before dawn, the bells of the imperial city of Luoyang rang.

The civil and military officials, dressed in their court robes, filed in, passed through the palace gates, and took their places in the Golden Hall.

This is the first grand court assembly of the new year, with a much longer agenda than usual. All the memorials that various departments and government offices have been accumulating over the winter will be brought out for discussion on this day.

Su Zhentian stood in the ranks of military officers, with Su Chengzhi standing behind him.

The Director of the Military Affairs Department of the Ministry of War accompanied the Marquis of Dingyuan to court today, and has military matters to report.

Su Zhentian's expression was more solemn than usual. He had received news last night that Su Jiuge would also be attending court today.

Not as a member of the Dingyuan Marquis's household, but as the head of the Dark Pavilion—summoned by imperial decree.

The incident stemmed from the destruction of the Blood Hall before the Lunar New Year.

The Blood Hall had been wreaking havoc in the Northwest for many years, assassinating government officials and colluding with local powerful figures. The government had long wanted to eradicate it, but was powerless to do so.

The Blood Hall was wiped out in one fell swoop, the ringleader Chen Beixuan was executed, and the remaining members either died, surrendered, or fled, thus clearing up the situation in the Northwest.

Such a serious matter could not go uninvestigated by the imperial court.

Both the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of War submitted memorials, claiming that the Thousand Machine Tower and the Dark Pavilion had joined forces, and that the new head of the Dark Pavilion was none other than Su Jiuge, the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Dingyuan, who had just been found.

The news caused an uproar in the imperial court.

The leader of the assassin organization is the legitimate daughter of a marquis, which is unprecedented since the founding of the Great Liang Dynasty.

Some impeached, some were amazed, some remained silent, and some secretly plotted.

The emperor did not express his opinion, but issued an imperial edict to summon Su Jiuge to court.

"The Su family of the Marquis of Dingyuan, led by Su Jiuge, requests an audience..."

The voice of the Grand Eunuch echoed through the Hall of Supreme Harmony. A figure entered through the sunlight streaming through the hall's doors.

Su Jiuge wore a dark purple formal dress, her hair was tied up with a gold and jade hairpin, and her face was bare of makeup.

The dress was altered overnight by the Shen family. It was originally a court dress from the Shen family's youth. The size was changed and the patterns were replaced. When Su Jiuge wore it, it looked as if it had been tailor-made.

The dress had a long hem that trailed on the ground as she walked, but she walked steadily and gracefully, like a drawn sword wrapped in silk.

It took her a long time to walk from the palace gate to the steps of the imperial palace.

The Golden Palace was very large, and the civil and military officials stood in two rows, their gazes like countless knives piercing from all directions.

Those gazes held scrutiny, curiosity, hostility, disdain, amazement, and greed, buzzing around her like a swarm of flies.

She didn't look at any of them, she just walked, her back straight, her steps even and unhurried, as if she were walking on a mountain path in Cangwu Mountain.

"Your subject, Su Jiuge, pays her respects to Your Majesty."

She knelt down and performed a grand salute.

Incorrect movements —

She had never learned how to kneel before the emperor. Madam Shen taught her several times, but her body was not used to kneeling before anyone.

He looked somewhat stiff, like a knife that refused to bend being forced down at the waist, awkward, but he had something more than those old ministers who had been kneeling for decades—neither humble nor arrogant.

She didn't think kneeling to the emperor was a matter of course; she was just following the rules. After kneeling, she stood up, and neither she nor the emperor owed each other anything.

The emperor realized it.

Emperor Yong'an is fifty-six years old this year. He has been on the throne for more than thirty years and has seen too many people kneel before him.

Some knelt with fear and trepidation, some with flattery, some with numbness, and some with gritted teeth.

It was the first time he had ever seen someone kneel so stiffly—not out of disrespect, but because he was not used to it.

"Rise."

Su Jiuge stood up and stood with her hands at her sides below the steps. She did not look up at the emperor; this was the proper etiquette.

But the emperor was watching her, and he watched her for a long time.

"Su Jiuge, do you know your crime?" Emperor Yong'an's voice was old but his majesty remained undiminished, like an ancient mountain.

The hall fell silent.

Su Jiuge raised her head and looked at the emperor on the dragon throne.

She had seen the emperor in the intelligence portraits kept by the Thousand Machine Tower. A portrait cannot depict a person in its entirety; it cannot depict the deep wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, the graying hair at his temples, nor the weary eyes that have seen all the affairs of the world.

He's old, much older than he looks in the portrait.

"This humble woman does not know." Su Jiuge's voice was not loud, but everyone in the quiet Golden Palace could hear it.

A commotion arose in the court. Some whispered among themselves, some shook their heads and sighed, and some gloated.

For a newcomer to dare say "I don't know" in front of the emperor is practically courting death.

"The Blood Hall has plagued the Northwest for many years, and the imperial court has repeatedly tried to eradicate it but failed. You led your men to wipe out the Blood Hall and killed Chen Beixuan; you have rendered meritorious service."

Emperor Yong'an spoke in a calm tone.

"But as the head of the Dark Pavilion, an assassin organization not recognized by the imperial court, where do you place the law when you stand in the court as its leader?"

Su Jiuge answered calmly:

"The Dark Pavilion used to be an assassin organization, but after I took over, I changed the rules. We don't kill the innocent, we don't harm the loyal, and we don't do anything unjust. What the Dark Pavilion does now is no different in essence from the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Capital Prefecture of the Imperial Court. The Dark Pavilion catches criminals that the Ministry of Justice can't catch. The Dark Pavilion investigates cases that the Court of Judicial Review can't solve. The Dark Pavilion does things that the Imperial Court can't handle. The Dark Pavilion is the hand of the Imperial Court, not its enemy."

The hall became even quieter.

These words would be utterly treasonous if spoken by anyone else.

What makes you think your assassin organization can be compared to the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review of the imperial court?

But Su Jiuge spoke with conviction.

Minister of War, Lord Wang, stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, although Su Jiuge's words may seem presumptuous, the threat to the Blood Hall was indeed quelled by the Dark Pavilion. This old minister believes that merits and demerits should offset each other, and neither severe punishment nor obvious reward is appropriate."

The old fox managed to offend neither the emperor nor the Marquis of Dingyuan's household.

Emperor Yong'an did not respond. He looked at Su Jiuge and asked a question that no one had expected:

Have you ever killed anyone?

The hall fell silent once more.

Su Jiuge looked at Emperor Yong'an.

"Killed."

"How many have you killed?"

"I can't remember."

Emperor Yong'an nodded, neither asking further nor showing any anger.

"I've heard that when you were in the Dark Secretariat, you never failed a mission." The Emperor's voice was calm.

"To take the head of a general amidst ten thousand troops, that's you."

Su Jiuge remained silent.

"What a sixteen-year-old girl can do on the battlefield, my generals may not be able to do." Emperor Yong'an's gaze swept over the ranks of military officers, and several generals lowered their heads.

Emperor Yong'an suddenly laughed.

The smile seemed out of place on his dignified face, making him look less like an emperor and more like an old man who had seen an interesting toy.

"Interesting. Marquis Dingyuan, you've raised a fine daughter."

Su Zhentian stepped forward and knelt down. "Your Majesty is too kind. My daughter is young and inexperienced. If her words or actions have been offensive, please forgive her."

"She did not offend me. She spoke the truth, and I haven't heard so many truths in a long time." Emperor Yong'an's voice carried a hint of emotion.

The emperor neither punished her nor blamed her, but praised her for "speaking the truth."

This is appreciation, this is recognition.

Crown Prince Xiao Jingrui stood at the head of the civil officials' line, a polite smile on his face.

He was in his early thirties, with a square face and a resemblance to the emperor in his features, but his demeanor was far inferior.

The emperor exudes a murderous aura, while the crown prince possesses only the shrewdness of someone pampered and privileged.

Su Jiuge noticed the way the Crown Prince was looking at her.

It's the look in a politician's eyes when assessing bargaining chips.

It's about measuring her value—

The military power of the Marquis of Dingyuan's mansion, the assassin network of the Dark Pavilion, and the intelligence channels of the Thousand Machine Tower.

These things combined would be enough to tempt any prince.

The crown prince wasn't the first to be tempted.

The Second Prince, Xiao Jingyan, was faster than the Crown Prince.

He stood at the head of the military officers' ranks, tall and imposing with a resolute face, quite unlike the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince is like a civil official, while the Second Prince is like a military general. The way he looks at Su Jiuge is different from that of the Crown Prince. It's not like a politician looking at a bargaining chip; it's like a tiger looking at its prey.

"The daughter of the Marquis of Dingyuan is indeed like father, like daughter."

Su Jiuge noticed that Su Zhentian frowned slightly.

Marquis Dingyuan did not take sides; he did not want to offend anyone.

The second prince's public display of goodwill left Su Zhentian no choice but to respond. "Your Highness is too kind," he replied politely, his tone neither warm nor cold.

The Second Prince smiled, his gaze falling on Su Jiuge again. "Miss Su, please come visit my residence when you have time. I'd like to discuss the affairs of the Northern Border with you. I heard you've been to Yanzhou, so you should be familiar with the customs and culture of the Northern Border."

Su Jiuge looked at him.

"I am going to Yanzhou to kill, not to chat."

The court was in an uproar. Some people laughed out loud, some gasped, and some shook their heads and sighed.

The second prince's smile froze on his face, but he quickly recovered.

"Miss Su is quick-witted and outspoken; I admire that." He's certainly seen his fair share of this opportunistic person today.

The fourth prince, Xiao Run, stepped forward.

He was in his early twenties, with a handsome face, wearing a moon-white python robe with a gold ribbon tied around his waist. He looked gentle and refined, more like a scholar than a prince.

His fiefdom was in Jiangnan, where he held no power and had no one to rely on, making him the least prominent figure in the imperial court.

At that moment, he stepped forward.

"Father." The fourth prince's voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet court.

"Your Majesty, I have a request. I wish to marry Su Jiuge, the daughter of Marquis Dingyuan, as my principal wife."

The imperial court was in an uproar.

Marrying the daughter of the Marquis of Dingyuan is no small matter—the Marquis of Dingyuan's mansion holds military power, Su Jiuge herself is the head of the Dark Pavilion, and she also has the support of the Thousand Machine Tower behind her.

Whoever marries her will possess these powers.

While the Crown Prince and the Second Prince were still figuring out how to win them over, the Fourth Prince directly proposed marriage, right in front of the entire court, and he even asked for the position of principal wife.

Emperor Yong'an looked at the Fourth Prince without saying a word, lost in thought.

At that moment, someone stepped forward.

The sixth prince, Xiao Yan, was dressed in a bright red python robe, with a gold ribbon around his waist and a gold crown on his head, exuding the air of a spoiled young master.

He stepped out of the queue, lazily bowed to the emperor, and spoke in a nonchalant tone, as if he were remarking on the pleasant weather:

"Father, I also want to marry her."

The commotion in the court grew even louder.

The fourth prince's marriage proposal was outrageous enough, but the sixth prince, a notorious wastrel, also joined in the fun.

Emperor Yong'an looked at him.

"You're going to marry her too?"

Xiao Yan smiled, a smile that resembled the kind of smile one would give to a girl in a brothel.

"Father, I think she's beautiful, skilled in martial arts, and can even kill. I like her that way; she's much more interesting than those well-bred young ladies who only know how to embroider."

The Crown Prince frowned, the Second Prince chuckled, and the Fourth Prince remained expressionless.

Some court officials shook their heads, some sighed, and some gloated.

Su Jiuge stood there, looking at Xiao Yan's face, which perfectly portrayed the image of a spoiled brat.

If she hadn't known his true identity—the master of Qianji Tower, the controller of the imperial court's underground intelligence network—she wouldn't have known.

He would then think that this person is a complete pervert.

She looked into Xiao Yan's eyes, and the light in them was different from usual.

He's usually lazy and seems like he's never fully awake.

Although she was feeling lazy, there was something beneath that laziness that she had never seen before.

It's something more complicated—she can't quite put her finger on it, like saying, "I'll play along with you."

Who are they putting on this show for? The Crown Prince, the Second Prince, court officials, and the Emperor.

Emperor Yong'an looked at his two sons. The fourth prince, gentle and refined, said that he wanted to marry Su Jiuge as his principal wife.

The sixth prince, a dissolute and unruly young man, said he also wanted to marry Su Jiuge.

One is serious, the other is silly.

Emperor Yong'an remained silent for a moment.

"This matter will be discussed later. Court is adjourned."

The Grand Eunuch announced the end of the court session, and the civil and military officials filed out. When Su Jiuge stepped out of the Golden Palace, it was already broad daylight. The sunlight shining on the white marble steps in front of the palace made her squint slightly.

Footsteps sounded behind me, neither too close nor too far, about three steps away.

Shen Qing followed behind her. She couldn't bring a knife to court, so Shen Qing waited for her outside the hall.

As they exited the palace gates, Shen Qing handed her the knife. Su Jiuge took the knife and hung it at her waist. The feel of it immediately returned, as if something missing had finally been found.

"Someone is following us," Shen Qing said softly.

Su Jiuge did not turn around.

"several?"

"Three. The Crown Prince's men, the Second Prince's men, and the Fourth Prince's men."

"Didn't the Sixth Prince send anyone?" Su Jiuge asked.

Shen Qing remained silent for a moment.

"The Sixth Prince's men have been here all along. They just haven't caught up."

Su Jiuge tightened the knife around her waist.

Excellent! People in the court are vying to marry her, and people outside the court are vying to follow her. Life is much more lively than when she was in the Dark Pavilion.

She doesn't like crowds, but she's not afraid of them either.

Anyone who makes her unhappy will never be happy again. That's her rule.

Shen Qing followed three steps behind her the whole time.

The palace gates closed behind her, shutting out the clamor of the court. Su Jiuge walked along the streets of Luojing City, her pace neither fast nor slow.

I haven't had breakfast yet. Madam Shen should have made osmanthus cake. I'll wait for her to get back.