Hot flashes

"Your Majesty, let's go," Shen Yu said. "It's getting late."

Xiao Jue lowered his eyes. He stood up, turned, and walked towards the iron gate. As his hand landed on the door knocker, Shen Yu's voice came from behind him, as soft as a leaf falling on the snow.

"Your subject takes his leave."

Xiao Jue didn't turn around. He opened the door and walked into the passageway. The iron door slowly closed behind him, and the small window at the food delivery point was pulled shut from the outside. The sliver of light disappeared, leaving only a nearly burnt-out oil lamp and an old man hunched over on the dry straw in the cell.

The interrogation in the Ministry of Justice prison lasted for a full seven days.

On the ninth day of the first lunar month, Xiao Jue publicly read aloud summaries of the confessions of Cui Yin, Lu Yuan, and Zheng Yun at the court assembly. The confessions were so long that it took the eunuchs nearly an hour to read them, from Chen Shi (7-9 AM) to Si Shi (9-11 AM). By the end, their voices were hoarse, and two more eunuchs had to take over before they could finish reading all the densely packed words.

The hall was completely silent. Even the low-ranking officials standing at the back held their breath, afraid that if they made a sound, they would become the focus of everyone's attention in this deathly silence.

Those officials who usually had close ties with the Cui, Lu, and Zheng families turned as white as paper. Some secretly moved half a step to the side, trying to distance themselves from those around them, as if getting too close would cause them to catch some incurable disease.

Xiao Jue stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping over these figures like an invisible knife, cutting through the air wherever it passed.

"The Cui, Lu, Zheng, and Shen families colluded with remnants of the previous dynasty, harbored princes of the previous dynasty, raised private armies, hoarded grain and fodder, and plotted treason. Their crimes are unforgivable."

He spoke slowly and deliberately, each word like a nail driven into the ears of everyone present: "The three judicial departments shall jointly try the case and determine the crimes according to the law. Cui Yin, Lu Yuan, Zheng Yun, and Shen Duan, the ringleaders of the treason, shall be beheaded immediately. All adult males within their three clans shall be executed; minors shall be exiled three thousand li; and the female relatives shall be confiscated and enslaved. The residences, lands, shops, and banks of the Cui, Lu, Zheng, and Shen families in the capital shall all be confiscated and added to the national treasury."

Xiao Jue then announced the outcome of Shen Yu's case. Shen Yu, an accomplice in the treason, was spared execution in consideration of his many years of service; instead, he was given poisoned wine and allowed to die with his body intact.

The jailer carried in a wooden tray with a pot of wine and a cup on it. The wine was the finest Zhuyeqing, warmed, with a faint steam rising from the spout, exactly the same as what Shen Yu usually drank.

Shen Yu raised his head, looking at the wine pot, then at the jailer's face. The jailer dared not meet his gaze, lowered his head, placed the tray on the low table, and left the cell.

Shen Yu picked up the wine pot and poured himself a cup. The wine swirled in the cup, reflecting the grayish-white light overhead, giving it a warm amber hue.

He picked up his wine glass, brought it to his nose, and smelled the unique fragrance of Zhuyeqing wine, mixed with a very faint, almost undetectable bitter almond scent.

Without hesitation, he downed the drink in one gulp. The moment the liquid entered his throat, he closed his eyes.

The glass slipped from his fingers, rolled twice on the hay, and came to a stop, rim down. The last drop of wine seeped from the rim and dripped onto the hay, leaving a small, dark, damp stain.

-

The execution ground was set up at Caishikou, and people started gathering there as early as dawn.

The crowds of onlookers, food vendors, and soldiers maintaining order completely blocked the street.

At 9:00 AM, the prison cart departed from the Ministry of Justice prison.

The prison van emerged from the narrow alley, its wheels creaking and groaning as it rolled over the still-snow-covered cobblestones. Amidst the pointing fingers and whispers of the people on either side, it slowly made its way to the execution ground.

The executioner sat on the platform, with a table in front of him and a command tube on it. He glanced at the sundial, then at the prisoner kneeling below the platform, raised his hand, and pulled a command arrow from the command tube.

It was noon.

The command arrow landed with a soft thud.

The executioner raised his knife.

The sun was shining brightly, and the sky after the snow was an almost transparent blue.

The executioner stood up and announced that the identity had been verified.

This step is routine—verifying the prisoner's name, place of origin, and age to confirm that there has been no wrongful or accidental killing.

But today's physical examination was different from usual. The executioner did not immediately order the executioner to begin. Instead, he picked up a document from the table, unfolded it, and read aloud to the crowd below.

"Upon investigation, it was found that the prince of the former dynasty in the possession of the Shen family was actually found among the common people in Jiangnan and was not of the bloodline of the former dynasty's royal family. The Shen family deceived the world with this, and their crime is aggravated. They have been apprehended by the court and will be dealt with in a separate case."

This passage was read very slowly, word by word, clearly and distinctly.

The crowd below the stage fell silent for a moment, then erupted in chaos.

"It's fake!"

"Treason wasn't enough; they're using a fake prince to fool people. Aren't they treating the whole world like fools?"

Shen Ji knelt on the far right, his eyes lowered, listening to the tidal wave of discussion behind him.

Of course it's fake.

He had found this stand-in for Cheng Yan a long time ago.

What Xiao Jue needed was a fake one.

Therefore, the secret passage was not sealed. Thus, Cheng Yan left the capital.

Shen Ji knew, and Xiao Jue knew he knew too. It was an unspoken deal—Xiao Jue needed a fake former dynasty prince to silence the world, and Shen Ji needed someone to survive. Each got what they wanted, nothing more.

Thinking of this, he suddenly became lost in thought. Where is Cheng Yan now?

The executioner verified the prisoner's identity, then returned to his seat behind the table. He glanced at the sundial, then at the prisoner kneeling on the execution platform, raised his hand, and pulled the command arrow from the command tube.

The sound of the command arrow hitting the ground was very soft, like a needle falling into cotton wool.

The executioner raised his knife.

Sunlight fell on the blade, reflecting a blinding white light.

Shen Ji knelt there, his eyes downcast, looking at the blood-soaked earth in front of him.

The snow melted and froze again, turning the soil into an indescribable dark brown. He stared for a long time, so long that a flash of white light passed by the corner of his eye, so long that he heard a dull sound, like wood being split open.