[Early spring, the ninth day of the first lunar month.]
[The Emperor arrived at Zhongnan.]
[The current Son of Heaven led the civil and military officials as the first group entering the mountain. In the latter half of the procession were the delegations from North Wind, Qianyuan, Han, and Chu.]
[The second group consisted of the imperial consorts and the families of the civil and military officials, vast and mighty.]
[You had cultivated for half a month and, rarely, made progress. Joy filled your heart.]
[That day, you washed your face, draped yourself in a Daoist robe, and walked out of the Tomb of the Living Dead.]
[Spring was warm and bright; once again, it was the finest season of the year.]
[You, Lu Yu, and Liu Jinchan stood on the stone steps of Mount Zhongnan to welcome the Emperor of Great Qing. Behind you, several hundred disciples of the Three Truths Sect stood in two orderly rows.]
[Mount Zhongnan had long been covered in layer upon layer of guards. The Son of Heaven's journey to pray for blessings was a matter of immense importance.]
[You stood shoulder to shoulder with Lu Yu and Liu Jinchan upon the stone steps of Mount Zhongnan, respectfully awaiting the arrival of the Great Qing Emperor.]
[Liu Jinchan stood in the center as the principal host, while you and Lu Yu attended your master, Liu Jinchan, on either side.]
[Your master, Liu Jinchan, said somewhat awkwardly, "Shenzhou, you are the Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Region's armies. Your status is exalted; you should stand in the middle."]
[You smiled. "Now, I am merely a disciple of the Three Truths Sect. Naturally, I should abide by the sect's rules and stand at my elders' side."]
[The Emperor had bathed and changed clothes for three days before ascending the mountain with his ministers. The scene of pilgrimage was solemn and grave.]
[At last, you saw this Emperor again.]
[Emperor Qing, Zhou Heng.]
[The Emperor was already old, gray-haired atop his head. Beneath his noble yellow robe was an old man in his sixties.]
[Back then, when he ascended the throne, he was already over thirty. He had spent the first half of his life carefree within his princely estate, only to leap onto the dragon throne overnight and become lord of all under heaven.]
[Within three years, he had stabilized the situation and gathered his own followers. Within ten years, he had truly taken control of Great Qing. He could not be called an incapable ruler.]
[In his eyes, you saw both fear of death and the consolation of a life already traveled.]
[The eunuch in charge of the imperial seal, Ma Bao, followed respectfully behind him.]
[Behind him were the four princes: the Eighth Prince, whom you had met before, as well as the Second Prince, Sixth Prince, and Fourth Prince.]
[The four princes were the four people in the world closest to the throne and the imperial apparatus.]
[Further back stood the ranks of civil officials: the Grand Preceptor, Grand Tutor, Grand Guardian, the ministers and vice ministers of the Six Ministries, Grand Secretaries of the Grand Secretariat, Grand Secretaries of the Secretariat, censors of the Court of Judicial Review, the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, and others.]
[The military officers stood to one side, clearly separated as rivers and ditches. There were Grand Ministers of the Imperial Guards, generals of the Four Continents, commanders, military governors, and more.]
[Lu Chen's father had claimed illness at home, while his mother stayed behind to care for him.]
[Yet you knew this was to avoid suspicion.]
[Among them, you could not help catching sight of several familiar faces. They were all the most powerful men in Great Qing today.]
[The three of you paid your respects to Emperor Zhou Heng.]
[Zhou Heng waved his hand. "No need for such ceremony, everyone."]
[The old Emperor said gently, "Walk with me."]
["There is still some time before the sacrifice to Heaven and the prayer for blessings."]
[Zhou Heng walked with unhurried steps, Lu Chen and the other two accompanying him at either side while the civil and military officials followed one after another like fish swimming in a stream.]
[Zhou Heng spoke with Liu Jinchan about the art of preserving health. Every word was a pearl, every sentence struck the heart, making the old Emperor's expression relax as his mood brightened greatly.]
[Zhou Heng sighed with deep emotion. "The years rush by, and youth slips away. When one reaches old age, one feels all the more keenly how precious life is, and fears that one may no longer behold this flourishing world."]
[The Second Prince hurriedly said from behind, "Father Emperor shall enjoy boundless longevity, protected by Heaven itself. Why burden yourself with needless worries? You are surely an immortal elder among men."]
[Zhou Heng smiled. "Second, you truly know how to speak."]
[The Second Prince shamelessly replied, "This son takes after Father Emperor."]
[When Zhou Heng had been a prince, he had done no small number of carefree things akin to "stealing chickens and petting dogs." Yet the court historians recorded it as: "In his youth, he possessed heroic spirit and befriended the talented men of Wuling."]
[The Second Prince had married the eldest princess of North Wind and received the full support of the southern aristocratic clans. His influence in court was now like the sun at high noon.]
[The southern clans favored peace.]
[Zhou Heng's gaze settled on Lu Chen, and a different light shone in his eyes.]
[This old man, already nearing sixty, was flooded with endless emotion at this moment.]
["Shenzhou, when I saw you three father and sons alone in Kyoto back then, riding swiftly into the capital at night, the curfew was already in effect. Yet it could not stop the people of Kyoto from coming to see you. In the middle of the night, Kyoto was packed to overflowing. Since the law could not punish the masses, it became even livelier than the Lantern Festival."]
["I instructed Ma Bao that once you father and sons entered the city, he was to wake me. Perhaps this dog slave forgot, or perhaps I was simply too old. I slept straight through until dawn and made you father and sons wait in the palace all night."]
["Shenzhou, did you blame me?"]
[As soon as he finished speaking, Ma Bao, the eunuch in charge of the imperial seal beside him, prostrated himself on the ground. "This slave deserves ten thousand deaths. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."]
[Yet Zhou Heng did not care. He lightly kicked Ma Bao, but his eyes remained fixed deeply upon Lu Chen.]
[The moment those words were spoken, even the officials became solemn.]
[A smile curled at the Second Prince's lips.]
[Liu Jinchan's heart tightened.]
[How should this thorny question be answered? Whether the answer was "yes" or "no," it seemed impossible to avoid falling into a predicament.]
[If he answered "yes," it might be regarded as disrespect toward the Son of Heaven. One misstep, and he would bear the suspicion of being arrogant and contemptuous.]
[Yet if he answered "no," it would seem insufficiently sincere and difficult to believe. The upright ministers of the pure stream were often blunt and outspoken.]
[Liu Jinchan was caught between a rock and a hard place. He sighed inwardly: Neither answer will do. It seems every answer is wrong.]
[No matter how he chose, it seemed impossible to avoid criticism and reproach. In this court filled with schemes and struggles, every word and every sentence had to be weighed with utmost care.]
[He had cultivated the Dao for many years and did not understand the deeper meaning behind it.]
[He truly could not think of a proper reply.]
[Still, he was not overly worried.]
[His disciple was calm and measured, never neglecting anything in his dealings with others.]
[The atmosphere among the civil and military officials was tense and subtle.]
[Among the assembled ministers, some who knew Lu Chen worried for him, while others watched coldly and secretly sneered.]
[The officials seeing the famed Junior Guardian Lu for the first time had eyes full of curiosity and scrutiny.]
[Only a very small handful understood the deeper meaning, yet they too remained silent.]
[The Eighth Prince, however, looked at him with fervent anticipation.]
[Everyone waited for Lu Chen's answer.]
[You possessed Insight into People and had already understood the meaning behind it.]
[Thus, you decided...]
1. Answer in the affirmative: you had indeed resented it, and might possibly receive important employment. 2. Answer in the negative: you bore no resentment whatsoever, and might leave the court. 3. If you remained silent, Great Qing would no longer tolerate you, and disaster would befall your family. 4. Participate personally. (1/3)
Yu Ke looked at the options.]
[Option 3: If you remained silent, Great Qing would no longer tolerate you, and disaster would befall your family.]
[Naturally, it was ruled out!]
[Yu Ke had long made up his mind. For these ten years, you would only cultivate the Dao and had no desire to involve yourself in the halls of power.]
[Yu Ke directly chose option 2: answer in the negative, bear no resentment whatsoever, and leave the court!]
[With your choice!]
[You answered Zhou Heng, "There is none in my heart." There was no embellishment; your answer was decisive.]
[Hearing your answer, Zhou Heng's face showed contemplation before he gave a faint sigh.]
["What a pity. I am old."]
["If I were thirty years younger—no... twenty years, even ten years."]
[Zhou Heng suddenly said, "Enough, enough. Let us go up the mountain!"]
[In a voice only he himself could hear, the Emperor said:]
["That night, I did not sleep either."]
[The procession began climbing the mountain. Liu Jinchan led Zhou Heng into the sacrificial platform, with the four princes and the civil and military officials close behind.]
[Lu Chen and Lu Yu held no official positions, so they remained outside the sacrificial platform.]
[The second wave had arrived: the delegations from North Wind, Qianyuan, Han, and Chu!]
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