Nine Nights Owl Song

April 15th, the eighteenth year of Yong'an.

Luoyang, the imperial city.

Great court meeting.

The Second Prince, Xiao Jingyan, has arrived today.

Only one month into his three-month confinement, the emperor lifted his confinement ahead of schedule.

There was no explanation—the emperor doesn't need explanations for his actions. The court officials had their own speculations; some said it was because the crown prince had become too arrogant lately, and the emperor was using the second prince to check him.

No one knows the real reason, but everyone senses an impending storm.

The second prince knelt before the imperial throne and kowtowed to express his gratitude.

He had lost weight, his chin was sharper, his cheekbones were higher, and his eye sockets were deeper, but his eyes were brighter than before—like a knife that had been re-sharpened, sharper and colder than before.

As he stood up to rejoin his unit, his gaze swept across the Crown Prince's face and then lingered on the Sixth Prince's face for a moment.

The temperature of that gaze was colder than ice.

The Crown Prince did not look at him. He gazed at the tablet in his hand, his face bearing an impeccable smile.

The Sixth Prince, Xiao Yan, stood in the queue, head bowed, staring at his toes, his hand gripping his ceremonial tablet. His posture was as usual, as if he were about to fall asleep at any moment. No one noticed that his fingers tightened slightly when the Second Prince looked at him.

The court sessions were long and tedious.

The Ministry of Revenue reported on spring plowing, the Ministry of Works reported on river works, the Ministry of War reported on military affairs in the northern border, and the Ministry of Rites reported on sacrificial ceremonies.

The emperor granted all requests, but his attitude was lukewarm.

The atmosphere in the hall changed abruptly when the Minister of Justice stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, I have a memorial to present."

The Minister of Justice, surnamed Han, was over sixty years old and was mature and prudent.

He was playing a piece about the aftermath of the Zhao Wenchang case—the capture of the remaining members of the photography studio gang, the progress of the interrogation of the captured assassins, and the parts of the assassins' confessions that involved officials in the imperial court.

Minister Han's voice was neither hurried nor slow, and his pace was even:

"According to the assassin's confession, he was employed by a certain Zhou, the chief of staff of the Second Prince's residence, and Zhou has confessed to this. Whether His Highness the Second Prince was aware of this matter, we dare not make a judgment, and beseech Your Majesty to decide."

The imperial court was deathly silent.

The second prince stood at the front of the military ranks, his face expressionless, like a stone statue.

The Crown Prince glanced at the Second Prince's back slightly, a slight smile playing on his lips—but he quickly suppressed it.

Emperor Yong'an spoke.

"Has the Ministry of Justice verified the assassin's confession?"

Minister Han bowed. "Your Majesty, I have verified the statements repeatedly, and they are consistent with each other without any contradictions."

Emperor Yong'an nodded.

He looked at the Second Prince, his voice as calm as if he were asking about the weather.

"Second brother, do you have anything to say?"

The second prince stepped forward, knelt down, and kowtowed.

"Your subject has nothing to say." He offered no defense, no protest of injustice.

"Your Majesty, I am aware of this matter. I sent the assassin. I confess my guilt and am willing to accept punishment."

The imperial court was in an uproar.

The second prince admitted it himself.

The ministers whispered amongst themselves, looking at each other in bewilderment.

No one expected the Second Prince to admit it—he could deny it, he could shift the blame to his staff, he could say that his subordinates had acted without his consent.

He didn't; he admitted it.

Emperor Yong'an remained silent for a long time, so long that the air in the hall seemed to freeze.

"Second brother, are you really confessing?"

"Your subject confesses his guilt."

"You don't regret it?"

The second prince raised his head to look at Emperor Yong'an, his eyes bloodshot, but his gaze firm.

"Your subject has no regrets."

Emperor Yong'an leaned back in his chair.

In this round, Zhao Wenchang also lost as the second-place player.

He admitted it, without arguing or begging for forgiveness; he confessed it himself.

He won't kill him—this is his son, his own flesh and blood.

But it's impossible to go unpunished.

"The Second Prince, Xiao Jingyan, was stripped of his salary for three years, imprisoned for half a year, and had three counties of his fiefdom removed."

Emperor Yong'an's voice was old and weary, "Court is adjourned. All may leave."

The court officials filed out.

Su Jiuge stood on the white marble steps outside the hall, waiting.

The secret service's information network was much faster than the court's; she was already outside the palace when the Minister of Justice submitted his memorial.

The second prince confessed his crime, and was punished with the reduction of his fiefdom, the loss of his salary, and six months of confinement. The punishment was neither too severe nor too lenient.

It's a good thing that there's one less rival in the imperial court.

Xiao Yan walked out of the hall and toward her. Su Jiuge looked at his face.

"He admitted it."

Xiao Yan nodded. "He admitted it. Now that he's admitted it, things are much easier."

The two walked side by side on the palace road, with towering red walls on both sides.

Su Jiuge said, "The Crown Prince is very pleased."

Xiao Yan said, "Of course he's happy. With his second son gone, he's lost a formidable rival."

Su Jiuge looked at him.

"Are you unhappy?"

Xiao Yan thought for a moment.

"I'm happy. But not because the second son was punished, but because he admitted it. Now that he's admitted it, he can't deny it anymore. I'll remember this."

Su Jiuge remained silent.

Xiao Yan suddenly stopped and looked at her. Sunlight streamed down from the top of the palace walls, falling on her face.

"Su Jiuge, be more careful when you go out in the future."

Su Jiuge looked at him.

Are you afraid he'll retaliate against me?

Xiao Yan nodded.

"He confessed and was put in solitary confinement for six months. What happens after he's released? Do you think he'll change? He'll only hate you more."

Su Jiuge touched the straight sword at her waist.

"Let him come."

Xiao Yan looked into her eyes.

There was no fear or hesitation in those eyes, only a resolute determination to "kill as many as come."

He reached out and gently tucked her wind-blown hair behind her ear. The movement was very, very gentle.

Su Jiuge's body stiffened slightly—she neither dodged nor blocked.

"Let's go home." Xiao Yan withdrew his hand, turned around, and continued walking.

Su Jiuge followed behind him, touching the hair he had just touched. The man's fingers were cool, but the spot he touched seemed a little hot.

In the afternoon, the Crown Prince hosted a banquet at the Eastern Palace to entertain his trusted confidants.

"The second son has now shot himself in the foot."

The crown prince, holding a wine cup, smiled.

"He admitted it. The Emperor punished him, stripping him of three counties. His fiefdom is smaller, his silver is less, and his soldiers are fewer. What will he use to compete with me now?"

The advisors echoed his sentiments, praising His Highness's wisdom, saying that "the Second Prince has dug his own grave" and that "the world will belong to His Highness sooner or later." Flattery was everywhere.

The prince smiled and drank cup after cup.

He drank a lot today and talked a lot.

He never loses his composure like this on ordinary days, but he's happy today.

Suddenly someone said, "The Sixth Prince is also in court today, but he hasn't said a word."

The crown prince put down his wine cup and thought for a moment.

The sixth brother, a good-for-nothing, married a good wife and is now Su Jiuge's appendage.

He was terrified of his wife; if Su Jiuge told him to go east, he wouldn't dare go west. For a prince to end up like this is truly pathetic.

"Pitiful? What's pitiful about him? He married Su Jiuge, and Su Jiuge has the Dark Pavilion and the Marquis of Dingyuan's mansion. He's pitiful? He's even more difficult to deal with than the Second Prince." The Crown Prince's smile faded slightly.

"Whoever spreads these words today, I'll chop off their head."

The room fell silent.

The Second Prince's Mansion.

The Second Prince, Xiao Jingyan, did not drink alcohol. He sat in his study looking at the map on the wall.

The map of the Northwest—his fiefdom—had three counties removed. His finger moved slowly across the map, from the three removed counties to Luoyang, and from Luoyang to the Marquis of Dingyuan's residence.

"Su Jiuge..." he murmured the name.

The chief of staff stood behind him.

"Your Highness, His Majesty has only punished you, not stripped you of your title. You still have a chance."

The second prince did not respond.

He looked at the location of Prince Zhao's residence on the map.

"Old Six didn't say a word today."

The chief of staff said cautiously, "His Highness the Sixth Prince... has never been one for many words."

The second prince shook his head.

"His silence is more terrifying than his speech. Those who speak have flaws, those who don't speak don't. He has hidden his flaws for over twenty years, and I still don't know what they are." The Second Prince didn't continue.

Outside the window, the April breeze brushed against the eaves of the Prince's mansion. The peach blossoms had already faded, but the crabapple blossoms were in full bloom. The Second Prince gazed at the flowers for a long time.

"Su Jiuge..." he suddenly repeated the name again.

"I will remember you."

He didn't remember the knife that killed him, but the woman who crippled him.

He could deal with the knife that killed him, but he couldn't destroy the woman who would harm him.

It wasn't because that woman was too strong, but because that woman showed the Emperor his true colors.

His true nature is not bravery or decisiveness, but ruthlessness.

Father Emperor is not afraid of his ruthlessness, but he is afraid of his lack of principles.

Su Jiuge made him expose his bottom line.

The second prince clenched his fists.

"Su Jiuge, I will never let this go in this lifetime."

Prince Zhao's Mansion.

Su Jiuge sat in front of the bronze mirror and took off her hair bun.

Xiao Yan leaned against the doorway, watching her.

"Su Jiuge, the Second Prince confessed today because he knows that denying it is useless. The Ministry of Justice's confession, the assassin's testimony, and the flow of the silver notes—every single one points to him. His denial will only make Father Emperor angrier."

Xiao Yan nodded, looking at the person in the mirror without saying a word.

On the fifteenth day of the fourth month of the eighteenth year of Yong'an, a change occurred in the imperial court.

The second prince confessed his crimes and was punished, the crown prince was in high spirits, and the sixth prince remained calm. Everything was proceeding according to the unspoken script.