Nine Nights Owl Song

On the eighteenth day of the first month of the eighteenth year of Yong'an, at night.

Su Jiuge sat in front of the bronze mirror in Shen's room, her hair bun removed, her long hair cascading over her shoulders.

The crimson robe hung on the hanger, and the candlelight cast its shadow on the wall, making it look like a person dressed in court attire.

Shen stood behind her and used a comb to gently comb through her long hair.

"I heard about what happened in court today," Madam Shen said softly.

"Both the Fourth Prince and the Sixth Prince have asked His Majesty for your hand in marriage."

Su Jiuge remained silent.

"Your father said that His Majesty was very angry and scolded both princes. The fourth prince was punished by being confined to his quarters for a month to reflect on his mistakes, and the sixth prince was punished by having his salary reduced by half a year."

Shen's hand paused for a moment.

"Jiuge, what are you really thinking?"

Su Jiuge looked at herself in the bronze mirror. The candlelight flickered on her face, mirroring her current mood.

"I have no idea."

Shen did not press the matter further.

She continued combing her hair, very slowly.

Su Jiuge closed her eyes.

The scenes from today's court replayed in my mind—the Fourth Prince knelt before His Majesty and said, "Your Majesty, I wish to marry Su Jiuge, the daughter of Marquis Dingyuan, as my principal wife," and the Sixth Prince lazily stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I also wish to marry her."

She knew the Fourth Prince's proposal was genuine.

It wasn't about her as a person, but about 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.

Marrying her would mean gaining control of all these forces. The Fourth Prince is the weakest in the court and needs them the most.

She also knew that the Sixth Prince's marriage proposal was fake—Xiao Yan did not need the military power of the Marquis of Dingyuan's mansion, the Dark Pavilion was his ally, and the Thousand Machine Tower itself was founded by him.

He stepped forward not because he really wanted to marry her, but to help her out of a difficult situation.

The unreasonable demands of a spoiled prince turned this "marriage alliance" into a farce.

The emperor scolded people, dismissed the court, and neither agreed nor refused.

The matter has been temporarily put on hold.

This is the best possible outcome.

Xiao Yan is helping her.

She didn't know why he was helping her.

It's not good for him.

If she becomes the fourth prince's principal wife, the cooperation between Qianji Tower and Dark Pavilion will not be interrupted; if she becomes the crown prince's concubine, Xiao Yan can also benefit from it.

He doesn't need to help her, and he won't lose anything by not helping her.

Su Jiuge opened her eyes.

"Mom, do you still have any osmanthus cakes you made today?"

Shen was taken aback for a moment, then smiled.

"Yes, Mom saved some for you."

"I want to eat."

Shen put down the comb and went to the kitchen to get osmanthus cake.

Su Jiuge sat alone in front of the bronze mirror, looking at the long-haired girl in the mirror, and reached out to touch her own face in the mirror.

You spoke a lot in court today, but there's one question you haven't answered yet—

What do you want?

You did not answer when Xiao Yan asked you.

When you returned to the Marquis's residence and Madam Shen asked you, you said you didn't know.

Do you really not know?

Osmanthus cake is here.

Su Jiuge picked up a piece and took a bite. It was very sweet, soft and powdery, and the fragrance of osmanthus filled her mouth.

She ate it piece by piece until she finished the whole plate.

On the nineteenth day of the first month of the eighteenth year of Yong'an, at Cangwu Mountain.

The day after the court assembly, Su Jiuge returned to Cangwu Mountain.

She wanted some peace and quiet.

The capital city was too noisy, and the Marquis's residence was too warm; those things prevented her from thinking.

On the rooftop of the Dark Pavilion headquarters, Su Jiuge sat on the eaves, with the sea of ​​clouds churning in the distance and a bottomless abyss below.

The wind was strong, making her robes flutter and the jade hairpin in her hair tremble slightly in the wind.

Ghost Hand climbed up and handed her a pot of wine.

Su Jiuge took the wine jug and took a swig. The strong liquor burned her way down her throat and into her stomach, making her feel warm all over.

"Vice Pavilion Master," she suddenly spoke.

"Um."

Have you ever thought about what you want?

Ghost Hand remained silent for a moment.

"I haven't thought about it."

"Think about it now."

Ghost Hand gazed at the sea of ​​clouds in the distance.

"Live. Live until tomorrow, live until the day after tomorrow, live until the day you no longer have to kill." Su Jiuge didn't reply.

Ghost Hand asked her, "What are you thinking about?"

Su Jiuge remained silent for a long time.

"Before, I wanted revenge, and after that, I wanted to rebuild the Dark Pavilion. Now that the Dark Pavilion has been rebuilt, I don't know what to think about anymore."

"Then take your time to think about it."

Ghost Hand's voice had an unusually gentle quality to it.

No rush, you're only seventeen, you have plenty of time.

Su Jiuge didn't say anything more, leaning against the eaves watching the sea of ​​clouds surge.

The wind howled as it passed through the ravines and valleys of Cangwu Mountain.

She thought a lot—

The true faces of those people in the court: the Crown Prince's fake smile, the Second Prince's fake anger, the Fourth Prince's fake sincerity, and the court officials' fake respect.

They all put on an act in front of her, wearing masks, thinking that she was the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Dingyuan, the head of the Dark Pavilion, and a guest of the Thousand Machine Tower, and that she was worth winning over, using, and scheming against.

No one ever asked her what she wanted.

Except for Xiao Yan.

You're daydreaming.

Su Jiuge shook her head, deciding not to think about it if she couldn't figure it out.

She jumped down from the roof of the palace.

On the twentieth day of the first lunar month, Su Jiuge sat in her study with a dossier that Bai Yu had sent her spread out in front of her.

It was Bai Yu who personally organized it for her.

"The Great Liang Dynasty".

She spent an entire day reading through the file.

The three prefectures of Yan and Yun in the north were divided among warlords, and the imperial court's orders did not extend beyond the prefectures;

The southern border was filled with warlords who outwardly submitted but secretly declared themselves kings; the western border was constantly plagued by foreign invasions year after year.

Japanese pirates were rampant in the eastern border region, causing immense suffering to the coastal people.

The Crown Prince and the Second Prince were locked in fierce factional struggles in the imperial court, with officials taking sides and vying for power.

Local powerful families seized land, causing many people to be displaced and countless to sell their children.

In the martial arts world, organizations such as the Dark Pavilion, Blood Hall, and Thousand Machine Tower operate independently, engaging in open and covert struggles.

The great tree of Daliang was rotting from its roots, and the imperial court was powerless to reverse the situation.

Xiao Yan is playing a game of chess. The game is very large, and his opponents are the Crown Prince, the Second Prince, and Zhao Wenchang.

Su Jiuge suddenly realized that what she wanted to change was not her own fate, but the fate of everyone in the world.

This idea is huge, so huge it's laughable, so huge it's overestimating one's abilities.

She was not the emperor, not the prime minister, and not even a member of the court.

She was just an assassin, a newly found legitimate daughter of a marquis's family, and the head of the Dark Pavilion with only a few dozen men under her command.

What makes her think she can change the fate of everyone in the world?

Based on the knife in her hand, the people in her secret service, her status as a member of the Marquis of Dingyuan's mansion, and herself.

Her goal has changed from today onwards—

It's not about revenge, it's not about becoming stronger, it's not about surviving; it's about changing this cannibalistic world.

In her own way, with her knife, with her secret chamber.

Although the road is long, she is not afraid. She has already walked in the dark for sixteen years and does not care about walking a few more years.

On the 21st day of the first lunar month, Su Jiuge convened the first plenary meeting of the Dark Pavilion in the main hall of Cangwu Mountain.

The deputy pavilion master, Ghost Hand, Shen Qing, Ghost Shadow, and more than a dozen other top-ranking and silver-ranking assassins were all present.

Su Jiuge stood in the main seat, looking down at the sea of ​​people below.

"The Dark Pavilion's old rule was to kill for money; whoever paid, they'd be killed." She paused.

"The new rules are: do not kill the innocent, do not harm the loyal and virtuous, and do not commit unjust acts. But these three rules alone are not enough."

The hall fell silent.

"From now on, I will personally assign tasks to the Dark Pavilion. We won't kill whoever pays us; we will only kill those who deserve to die. Corrupt officials, kill them; unscrupulous merchants and bullies, kill them; traitors and collaborators, kill them; those who oppress the people, kill them."

Su Jiuge looked at everyone present.

"Those who shouldn't be killed, no amount of money will suffice. The Dark Pavilion isn't short of money, it's short of people. Those who deserve to die, the court can't kill, the Dark Pavilion will. The court can't manage, the Dark Pavilion will. This isn't business, it's a matter of principle. If you're willing to work with me, stay. If not, leave now."

No one left.

Su Jiuge nodded.

"Vice Pavilion Master, from today onwards, the Dark Pavilion's intelligence network will extend to every prefecture and state in the country. This includes not only intelligence on assassination targets, but also on all matters of the nation. The Dark Pavilion must know which official is corrupt, which powerful figure is oppressive, and which commoner is wronged."

The ghost hand clasped its hands in a fist salute. "Yes."

"Shen Qing."

"exist."

"You will lead your men to take charge of the northern border. The three prefectures of Yan and Yun are divided among warlords. You must thoroughly investigate the background, troop strength, supplies, and movements of each general."

"Yes."

"Ghostly figure".

"exist."

"You will lead your men to take charge of the southern border. The imperial court cannot control the situation of the regional military governors; the secret police will handle it."

"Yes."

Su Jiuge looked at the faces of the people below.

Some of them had followed her for years, some had just arrived, and some were still observing.

She doesn't care; she'll mold them one by one into what she wants them to be.

They're not killing machines, they're people from the Dark Pavilion.

Late at night, Su Jiuge stood on the mountain road of Cangwu Mountain. The moonlight shone on the snow, making everything silvery white.

She walked slowly, leaving deep footprints in the snow with each step.

The night on Cangwu Mountain was very quiet, so quiet that she could hear her own heartbeat. She walked for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before suddenly stopping and looking up at the moon in the sky.

It was a crescent moon, like a knife hanging in the dark sky, its blade cold and sharp, just like the straight sword at her waist.

Su Jiuge stood there and gazed at the moon for a long time.

On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Xiao Yan asked her what she wanted, but she didn't answer because she didn't know.

Now I know.

She wanted to make the world a better place, so that children like her wouldn't have to wait to die in the snow, so that mothers like Ms. Shen wouldn't have to cry themselves blind, and so that people like the old drunkard wouldn't have to hide.

She can't do many things, but she can do one thing—kill.

Kill those who deserve to die, and let those who deserve to live live.

This is her way.

Simple, straightforward, direct, and effective.

Xiao Yan asked her what she wanted.

She didn't answer at the time, but if asked again, she would say—I want peace in the world.

It's not "wish" but "want".

She wants peace in the world, and she's doing it her way.

On the 21st day of the first month of the 18th year of Yong'an, at night.

The moon over Cangwu Mountain is very bright.

As Su Jiuge walked down the mountain, she had never felt so clear-headed before.

She knows what she wants, and the court, the martial arts world, and everyone in the world will know what Su Jiuge wants.